In her book "The Raised Flag," Somaye Jamali writes of the Muharram 2020 nights, which took place amid the coronavirus's gloomy period.

There are 11 chapters in this book, and each one is devoted to one of the first ten nights of Muharram. 

* You previously published a book of poetry. How did you start writing novels?

Since I was a teenager, I have been producing poems and stories. I therefore had experience creating stories in addition to poetry. However, after my poetry collection was published, some friends who had previously seen my works advised that it would be preferable for me to stick to writing stories. Professionally, I decided to leave poetry aside and devote the majority of my energy on the story writing. Also, the reason I wanted to write this this novel about this subject was that those days when the corona virus came, everyone was confused and surprised, and when Muharram arrived, they didn't know how to organize mourning ceremonies for Imam Hussein. At that time, everyone suddenly decided to help each other and follow the rules and protocols.

* What prevented you from incorporating some imagination into the stories?

Future generations might read this book, and we should refrain from adding anything from our own imaginations to the story in the documentaries to a considerable extent. Also, I didn't want to add anything because the events going on around me were interesting enough.

* In your perspective, how does your work differ from the stories that are based on this topic? 

The feminine approach in "The Raised Flag" distinguishes it. Although the majority of things said about religious ceremonies have been said by men, and everyone has heard and read those things numerous times, I have a feminine perspective on the matter, and the distinctive feature of my work is the way I described both the men's and women's sides from a woman point of view.

* Which night did you find to be the most interesting or challenging?

Although the novel I wrote does reflect the spirit of Muharram, my intention was to write it in the best possible way, not merely for emotional reasons. I assert that I attempted to write my book pleasantly and to capture the joyousness that individuals experience when they get together. Thus, I found the second night to be fascinating. For me, the night of Ashura was the most challenging to write since it was filled with so much pain and significance.