Martyr! is a novel by Iranian American poet and novelist Kaveh Akbar. It was published in 2014 by Knopf Publishing Group. In his debut novel, Akbar incorporates his poetry prowess and takes a crack at literary fiction. A New York Times bestseller, it was longlisted for the 2024 National Book Award for Fiction.
Set in Iran and the United States, Cyrus Shams is an orphaned man in his late 20s, suffering from a major depressive disorder. He is a poet struggling with alcoholism and an opioid addiction. Cyrus's mother died in a plane crash during the Iran-Iraq war. His father died after living a futile life working on a factory farm in Indiana.
Cyrus's obsession with death and martyrdom will lead him to a path of redemption. He will meet an Iranian artist and discover things about his past that will change his life's trajectory. Cyrus is forced to come to terms with his mortality to save himself from hitting rock bottom.
Written during the COVID-19 lockdowns, the novel captures the uncertainty so many people felt during the pandemic. Its dark humor alleviates the pressure from all the grim subjects. Given that it's Akbar's first novel, his bold decision to tackle complicated themes such as death and addiction is highly meritorious.
