The Analysis of Postcolonial Criticism of the Novel "Mysteries of My Land" by Reza Baraheni

Abstract Each literary work is a sign of its writer’ ideology and thoughts, and is based on the social and political context of the community. Reza Baraheni, the author of the Novel “Mysteries of My Land”, as a social reformer, influenced by the atmosphere of the ruling community in Iran, especially Tabriz during the years from 1959 to 1979, expressed his social-political ideas with the aim of reforming society. Thus analyzing the writer’s thoughts is important from the point of view of post-colonial literature. The present study is done via the content analysis method to investigate the intellectual themes of the novel, such as tradition and modernity, social disadvantages, status of women in society, Self and the Other, apolitism, lack of self-esteem, and subaltern and hegemony, and anti-colonialism .The research results depict that this novel, drawing on the components of post-colonial literature, illustrates themes such as the confrontation between tradition and modernity, the male dominance of the traditional society, western subaltern and hegemony, moral issues, lack of self-esteem, and identity fragmentation. But, on the contrary, relying on mythological beliefs and ideas to achieve the former identity, the novel also promotes the struggle against the belief in the supremacy of Western race as well as anti-colonialism.