Samt-i Roshān-i Zendegī Persiska (Farsi)

The Bright Side of Life is the latest collection of short stories by Mustafa Mastur, a well-known and stylistically distinct Iranian author, published by Cheshmeh Publishing. This book contains 17 short stories which, unlike Mastur’s previous works, revolve around a single deep theme: the lives and inner worlds of women.

Core Essence of the Book
Each story in The Bright Side of Life narrates the experiences, challenges, and inner lives of a woman. Mastur aims to focus on the bright, innocent, and meaningful aspects of women’s lives, portraying their experiences in a way that inspires the reader.

Female Portraits: The main characters of the stories are largely shaped by Mastur’s five-year conversations with various women, though some stories are entirely fictional. This approach gives the stories depth and a sense of realism.

Continuation of Mastur’s Concerns: Despite the focus on women, this collection remains rooted in Mastur’s literary universe, exploring deep philosophical, existential, and spiritual questions about love, life, death, and the concept of God.

Style and Narrative Structure: Mastur is expected to employ his characteristic calm, concise, and contemplative prose to create precise portraits of women’s lives, existential anxieties, and emotional relationships—especially unfulfilled loves, which remain a recurring motif in his works—through the perspectives of his female characters.