Leili Khodaei

My Letters to Duman

Letters in the Mist, translated into English as My Letters to Duman, is the debut book of poetry and prose by Leili Khodaei. It consists of short and long letters written to a lost or unattainable love — a person named Duman. This book is a collection of letters written over the course of several years and compiled into one volume.

In these letters, you do not read the sorrows and thoughts of just a woman, but of a human being.

Poet Leili Khodaei cleverly addresses the issues facing contemporary Iranian society through poetic expression — topics such as the execution of young people, child marriages under the age of eighteen, the censorship of films and books, and the discouragement of filmmakers, writers, and poets.

The book was heavily censored in both its first and second printings. In an interview, Leili Khodaei noted:

"Some of the writings were so heavily censored that, after publication, even I couldn't believe I had written them."

This book, written in the poet’s native language, bears the wounds of censorship.

In an interview with Voice of America, Leili Khodaei stated:

"Words that symbolized beauty, resistance, or freedom — such as Araz, Savalan, and Azerbaijan — were all deleted and censored." In some letters, not just words or sentences, but entire letters were removed from the book.

This book is the first of its kind written in this style in the literary history of Azerbaijan.

Leili Khodaei says: "Before publishing the letters, I called Master Seyed Ali Salehi and told him that I had written a book in my mother tongue, in the style of My Letters to Reera, and that this is the first time such a work has appeared in Azerbaijani literature."

The preface of the book was written by a prominent figure in the history of Iran and Azerbaijan: Dr. Mohammad Hossein Mobin, known as the "Father of Iran's Leprosy Patients." He chose to live in Bababaghi among people affected by leprosy, even when he was invited to teach at a university in the United States. Dr. Mobin was also present in Bababaghi during the filming of The House is Black by Forough Farrokhzad.

The second preface was written by Dr. Karim Mashruthechi, one of the great literary scholars of Iran and Azerbaijan. Regarding this, Leili Khodaei says:

"Teaching in one’s mother tongue is forbidden in Iran, and we are required to begin schooling in a second language from the age of six. When I began writing letters in my native language, I faced a challenge — I could speak it, but I couldn’t write it properly. Professor Karim Mashruthechi wrote letters to me and showed me the way. I owe him deeply."

The public warmly embraced the letters. Leili Khodaei says:

"Every day, I received many messages on social media — and everyone was asking about Duman. Just as I wrote in the letters, everyone was searching for Duman, just like I was."

The translation of these letters is currently in progress and will soon be published in the Netherlands.

This book has been published twice: once through Ark Publishing House in Tabriz, and once through Anvar Publishing House.