Pomegranate Smile

The Pomegranate Smile is a collection of short stories written by Houshang Moradi Kermani, comprising sixteen fictional works titled “Earring,” “Six Bananas,” “Nest,” “Butterfly,” “Market,” “Thread,” “Lonely Tree,” “Children of Iran,” “New Poem,” “Journey Keepsake,” “Homeland,” “Fruit,” “Mother,” “Cherry Pit,” and another story sharing the book’s title, “The Pomegranate Smile.” “The Pomegranate Smile” tells the story of a strict school principal whose memory of the pomegranate branch remains in the minds of all his students. The story “Earring” is about a girl whose smuggler father has been executed, her mother is in prison, and she herself is struggling with the pressures of adolescence and her peers’ behavior. “Six Bananas” narrates the tale of an old fruit vendor selling greens and fruits in a poverty-stricken neighborhood where the people are so poor that they cannot afford a fruit like bananas. “Nest” is an engaging tale of a father who, along with his family, spots a pigeon in the desert. He becomes intrigued and decides to follow the pigeon to find its nest, but the desert can be a scary and disorienting place. The story “Market” is about a rural man and woman who come to the market to sell walnuts and buy some goods. On their way, they visit a fabric shop, but the fabric merchant isn’t there, and his son, trying to win favor in his father’s eyes, sells the fabric to them at a higher price. However, will the father approve of this action? Read the conclusion of this story and the other captivating short tales by Houshang Moradi Kermani in the book “The Pomegranate Smile.”