He, his friends: Mine and Moonlight

In Ali Khoshlafz’s memories, When Moonlight was lost

Elham Saleh
Translated by Mohammad Ayyoobi

2015-12-13

Someone asked:” Does the first manuscript in the book really belong to narrator?” Sometimes later the narrator said:” when I want to write a letter, I ask my wife to do the job for me, the book’s manuscript belongs to my wife.”

The same one asked: ”Dose the speech exactly belong to narrator? Did anybody help her to manuscript this speech?”

The first speech in the book “When Moonlight was lost” belongs to narrator:” my friends asked me to recall me memories about Sacred Defense (War). I did not agree. I knew that memory is my personal narration when I myself am in concentration; however the most important lesson in Sacred Defense   was passing egoism and achieving unassuming  hill. Consorting the martyrs taught us to forget egoism and think about US. We were each other’s body parts, and in every conflict, one part of this body got heavenly.”

This speech is so sincere that makes the reader enthusiastic to study the book. The   introduction has the same feeling: ”I had a friend how said:” here the Majnoon Island is for the mad. The mad who are in love. The lovers who are going to reach God using cutoff.”

The writer in this book says in his word that he is narrating the memories of a wise pretending to be mad, the memories of Ali Khoshlafz whom is defined by his friends differently: Khoshrafigh (friend lover) because of his numerous friends, Khoshmana( good meaning) because he ignored the restrictions and vocal beauty  in his speech ,Khoshzakhm ( good gash) because of the sore remained from war.

The book “When Moonlight was lost” includes 13 chapters. The first chapter titled: ”Shotorgaloo district country lanes” which narrates the infantile days of the narrator, mischief in childhood, ringing the bells of the houses, stealing fruits, from  getting familiar with brass knuckles to revolution victory period and then start of the war. This chapter is finished with some pictures about Khoshlafz’s infantile and young days.

The second chapter in the book titled as “the blood-paved base” the name copied from the passage many people martyred for it to be freed. This chapter refers to many subjects such as khoshlafz’s dispatch to war, scouting, patrolling and reconnaissance.

The next chapter titled as “Sixteen years old Pathfinder” includes subjects as Khoshlafz’s departure from war, graduation, khoshlafz as trump for Sepah (Islamic Revolution Corps), and dispatching to Sarpolezahab frontier.

This is the chapter in which the fifteen years old playful Ali in frontier turned to a pathfinder. In this chapter we read: “Some Iraqi ambush trench located in front of the circle bulwark, upon any conflict all the sleeping soldiers in Zeinalghods would wake up. Passing by this stronghold would not be possible even for two battalions (700 soldiers) except by the God’s will. The moonlight stretched on plain like a white spotlight, which made shadows tall and short. I feared the mission revealed and we confront the Iraqi soldiers. Habib said:” whisper reading the Quran verse Vagalna and start moving to soldiers.” Was everything ok by reading Vagalna? Habib’s faith and will made him to believe everything would be ok however; the spotlight helped the Iraqi soldiers by blinking.”

The next chapters titled respectively: “Fighting continues until Khoramshahr liberated”, “Ramazan a month to fight thirst”, “the good-gash brothers”, ”intercession smile”, ”I, Moonlight and Mine”, “Fav combat”, ”Getting rid of Name and Title” , “My Body Parts in Shalamche”, ”All My Brothers”.

It is hard to talk about “When Moonlight was lost”, talking about this book is not interpreting Ali Khoshlafz’s memories. All chapters are interesting and to understand the memories in this book we need to study every memory separately however the words are not able to depict the events. The events, which turned the playful child who used to eat fruits of other people’s gardens to a faithful warrior. This book is one of the best  in oral history which is suitably processed with a good appearance.

As mentioned in the introduction, “When Moonlight was lost” is not a story. It is reality, a reality that seems to be abstract but it is not so. The book contains the memories of a 70 percent wounded soldier who is hardly able to breathe.

The photos in this book contribute the words. The chapters in the book start with word and end with photos. The photos that speak a lot.  Every photo beside caption has a separate attractive story. Shot stories that finish fast but continue in the minds of the readers. The arrangement of the photos along with the captions indicates a good organization in the book. The high number of photos in the book indicates the attempt of the writer to convey the message in the best way.  

All these peculiarities in the book indicate that the write, Hamid Hesam, was so familiar with the duty he had took the responsibility to depict it. In one of the critics meeting the writher said:” if I do not know the people whom I am telling their stories, did not see them, and did not meet the places they refer, I do not decide to write. By Familiarity with this data, I believe I can help the people who are going to recall their memories.”

The points considered in “When Moonlight was lost“ made the book interesting.

The footnotes of the book are another pro. The footnotes explain the obscure points for the readers. The graphic design of book cover harmonized the title. The moonlight, barbed wires and mine appear in the background of the design. We can see some of the words in the title, “When Moonlight was lost”, covered under the barbed wires on the design to clarify the title.  

The title of the book is similar to a novel; however, it has ambiguity and is beautiful that attract the readers to read the book. May be this is not the case and the reader after looking at the cover and the title, “When Moonlight was lost”, closing the book and look at the back of the cover. The words appear in the back of the cover clear the ambiguity;” according to my calculation,   Mahtab (moon) rises in 10.17 o’clock. We must pass by the minefield before moon rises.  I said: ”Dear Ali, so many times, I had been in the minefield exactly as moon could be seen in the sky, however nothing happened, moon helped me pass by the mines .He said while smiling: I am not able to putin mine and the moon.”

“When Moonlight was lost” , the memories of Ali Khoshlafz, Interview and editing by: Hamid Hesam/ Sormehr Publications, 652 pages.