Martyr! is the breathtaking debut novel from acclaimed poet Kaveh Akbar, delivering a richly layered and emotionally powerful story about faith, addiction, identity, and the search for transcendence. Told with lyrical brilliance and dark humor, the novel follows Cyrus Shams, a disillusioned, grieving Iranian-American who is obsessed with martyrdom—his mother died in a plane downed by the U.S. military, and he is haunted by the meaning of her death and the echoes of inherited trauma.

As Cyrus navigates sobriety, loss, and a fractured sense of belonging, he sets out to find what it truly means to live a meaningful life—and whether self-sacrifice is a path to redemption or simply another form of escape. Along the way, he encounters mystics, misfits, and artists, all part of a world where the sacred and profane constantly intertwine. Martyr! is a profound meditation on what it means to survive in a broken world while yearning for spiritual wholeness.

Why Read This Book?

• A Daring and Lyrical Debut: Combines poetic language with emotional rawness in a deeply introspective narrative.

• Themes of Faith and Identity: Explores Islam, addiction, grief, and generational trauma with nuance and insight.

• Culturally Resonant: Offers a vivid portrait of the Iranian-American experience in a post-9/11 world.

• For Fans of Literary Fiction: Recommended for readers who enjoy works by Ocean Vuong, Jesmyn Ward, or Hanya Yanagihara.

About the Author

Kaveh Akbar is an Iranian-American poet and writer whose work has received widespread acclaim for its spiritual depth, formal innovation, and emotional honesty. His poetry collections include Calling a Wolf a Wolf and Pilgrim Bell. Akbar is also the poetry editor of The Nation and teaches creative writing at the University of Iowa. With Martyr!, he brings his lyrical mastery to fiction, crafting a novel that is both profoundly human and spiritually resonant.