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Kaveh Akbar, author portrait
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Kaveh Akbar

American
Born 1989
Kaveh Akbar is an Iranian-American poet, novelist, and editor. He is the author of the poetry collections Calling a Wolf a Wolf and Pilgrim Bell and of the novel Martyr!, a New York Times bestseller and National Book Award finalist.
On LuvemBooks, we've reviewed Martyr!.
1
Books Reviewed
Cover of Martyr!
Martyr!

4.2/5

reader rating · 12,783 ratings

Kaveh Akbar's debut novel Martyr! Follows Cyrus Shams, a young Iranian-American poet in recovery who is obsessed with martyrdom, as he grapples with inherited grief — his mother's death when her plane was shot down over the Persian Gulf, and his father's diminished life working at a Midwestern chicken factory. A National Book Award finalist, the novel has drawn praise from major literary figures and critics for its fearless blend of addiction, displacement, biculturalism, and the aching need to make something meaningful out of pain.

Reviewed Aug 6, 2026

Ask LuvemBooks about Kaveh Akbar

Kaveh Akbar is an Iranian-American poet, novelist, and editor whose debut novel Martyr!: A Novel follows Cyrus Shams, a young Iranian-American poet in recovery obsessed with martyrdom, as he confronts inherited grief over his mother's death and his father's diminished life. A National Book Award finalist, the novel has drawn praise from major literary figures and holds a 4.2/5 reader rating from nearly 13,000 Amazon ratings. So far we've reviewed 1 book by Akbar on LuvemBooks.
Where should I start?
Start with Martyr!: A Novel — it's Akbar's debut novel and the only book of theirs we've reviewed so far. It's the work that made them a National Book Award finalist, and its 4.2/5 reader rating from 12,783 Amazon ratings suggests it connects with a wide range of readers.
What's their writing style?
Akbar comes to fiction from poetry, and their debut novel takes on weighty subjects — martyrdom, addiction and recovery, and inherited grief — through the interior life of a poet protagonist. In Martyr!: A Novel, they braid personal loss, like a mother killed when her plane was shot down over the Persian Gulf, with a son's obsessive search for meaning. The result is literary fiction preoccupied with how people carry the deaths that shaped them.
Books we've reviewed
We've reviewed 1 book by Kaveh Akbar. Martyr!: A Novel (Literary Fiction, 4.2/5 reader rating from 12,783 Amazon ratings) is their debut about Cyrus Shams, a poet in recovery obsessed with martyrdom, and it was a National Book Award finalist.
What genre do they write?
Based on the book we've reviewed, Kaveh Akbar writes Literary Fiction. Martyr!: A Novel centers on character and interior life — a poet in recovery reckoning with martyrdom and inherited grief — rather than plot-driven genre conventions. Akbar is also a poet, which informs the literary sensibility of their fiction.
Who is Kaveh Akbar?

Who is Kaveh Akbar?

Kaveh Akbar is an Iranian-American poet, novelist, and editor. They are best known for their debut novel Martyr!: A Novel, a National Book Award finalist about a young Iranian-American poet in recovery who is obsessed with martyrdom. The book has drawn praise from major literary figures and carries a 4.2/5 reader rating on Amazon.

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