IACC slideshow video for author Sepehr Haddad's talk with host Termeh Rassi on June 16, 2021

A family secret revealed 40 years ago by a grandmother to her grandson is now an acclaimed Russian historical fiction novel. More info here: www.amazon.com...
A Hundred Sweet Promises is the tale of the author’s grandfather, Nasrosoltan, a famed composer, who on the eve of World War I travels from Persia to Russia to study classical music at the St. Petersburg Conservatory with such masters as Rimsky-Korsakov. While there, Nasrosoltan falls in love with a Romanov princess, but the royalty surrounding him considers this a forbidden love. Unexpectedly, the tsar gets involved, and Nasrosoltan suddenly finds himself in a battle between head and heart while being carried forward on a wave of destiny toward an uncertain future.
A novel based on a true story set against the backdrop of the final days of Imperial Russia.
Kirkus Reviews
"An exceedingly intelligent tale that thoughtfully juxtaposes the maddening effects of romantic love with the violent paroxysms of political insurrection. Furthermore, the reader is given a rare literary treat: a peek into distinct revolutionary periods - Russia and Iran in the early years of the 20th century and Iran in the century’s last quarter. A dramatically affecting novel that is also politically astute." (Kirkus Reviews)
Publishers Weekly Book Life Review:
"[O]ne of the peculiar pleasures of this novel is that its author seems deeply familiar with and fond of 19th-century Russian literature; there are hints of Chekhov, of Tolstoy’s Kreutzer Sonata, and Pushkin’s “The Queen of Spades”. The narrative style evokes the writers of that period, and their influence is felt throughout the text. The novel is well-researched and convincingly recreates the pomp and glitter of St. Petersburg in the twilight of the Romanov empire. The story brings back how honor was an achievable ideal and nobility of character and behavior were the qualities sought after in a romantic hero and heroine." (Publishers Weekly)