'Persian Lessons' tells a tale that could be thought of as an offbeat twist on 'Schindler's List'. A Nazi resolves to save a prisoner - but just one - and for the odd reason that the man can teach him Farsi. The man is in fact lying and is making the language up as he goes from the names of dead prisoners; the Nazi seems to know he is being lied to, but is so attached to the dream of living in Iran that he allows himself to believe. Parts of the dynamic are quite interesting, particularly the way the Nazi manages moments of decency against the backdrop of the despicable behaviour he engages in the rest of the time; but overall, the story feels a little far fetched. I'm sure there are amazing true stories of people who survived the holocaust through unlikely chance and personal connections; but I'm not sure this unlikely fiction does that much to shed new light on these terrible events.
Review of Persian Lessons
