''Journey to Heading 270 Degrees'' ( fa, سفر به گرای ۲۷۰ درجه) is a novel by

Ahmad Dehqan Ahmad ( ar, أحمد, ʾAḥmad) is an Arabic male given name common in most parts of the Muslim world. Other spellings of the name include Ahmed and Ahmet. Etymology The word derives from the root (ḥ-m-d), from the Arabic (), from the ve ...

. The novel is set during the

Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. It began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for almost eight years, until the acceptance of United Nations Security Council ...

and focuses on the experiences of a high school student who participates in several operations named Naser. Over 15,000 copies were published in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. In 1996, the book received the award for Best Novel in the War-Themed category. In 2006, the book was translated from

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Rutgers Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was a ...

professor

Paul Sprachman Paul Sprachman (born 26 May 1947) is a professor emeritus who taught at Rutgers University in the United States. He earned his PhD degree from University of Chicago in 1981. He has worked and studied in Afghanistan and Iran for a number of years. ...

and published by Mazda Publishers. The novel is available at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

. The book is used as reading material in the "Introduction to the Literature of the Modern Middle East" course available at

Publisher

The first edition was published by Sarir Publication Company in 1996. It was reprinted thereafter. In 2005, Soreie Mehr Publication Company published the second edition. In 2006, Mazda Publishers printed a paperback edition in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Synopsis

''Journey to Heading 270 Degrees'' is a novel about the Iran-Iraq War. It tells the story of Naser, a veteran of several battles, while in high school. Unable to resist the pressure to join the military, he returns to the war front to find himself in the midst of one of the war's most decisive clashes. The Iraqis attack Iranian fortified positions in tanks while Naser's unit repels them on foot. During the battle, Naser loses several comrades but gains an understanding of the futility of conflict.

Author

was born in

Karaj Karaj ( fa, کرج, ) is the capital of Alborz Province, Iran, and effectively a satellite city of Tehran. Although the county hosts a population around 1.97 million, as recorded in the 2016 census, most of the county is rugged mountain. The urb ...

Province in 1966. He was a soldier in the Iran-Iraq war. He graduated with a degree in

electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

in 2007, and then studied

Communication Sciences Communication studies or communication science is an academic discipline that deals with processes of human communication and behavior, patterns of communication in interpersonal relationships, social interactions and communication in differe ...

, earning a bachelor's degree. He pursued a master's degree in anthropology, which was his favorite field of study. Dehgan works as a literary expert in the Office of Literature and the Art of Resistance at the Center for Literary Creations in ''Howzeh Honari''. He wrote several collections of stories and novels including, ''Untold about The Iran-Iraq War, A Division with four Persons Liberation of Khorramshahr, The Stars of Shalamcheh, The Last Days, The Mission Complete, I am the Murderer of your son, Invasion'' and ''Dashtban''. Many of Dehqan's books have been published by Soreie Mehr Publication Company and translated into various other languages.

Awards

After the first publication of ''Journey to Heading 270 Degrees'', Dehqan received awards including the 20 Years Literature Story Award, 20 Years Literature Resistance Award and first place in the 4th Sacred Defense Book of The Year award in Iran.

References

{{Reflist Iranian books Novels set during the Iran–Iraq War Persian-language novels

Publisher

Synopsis

Author

Awards

See also

References