I just finished Wolf Hall the other day and I had to ask myself why I had kept reading. There were over ninety characters. It was often hard to figure out who was doing the talking and who was doing the thinking. Small drama after small drama leaped out of nowhere. But the narrative...
Below we reproduce an interview by Octavio Books editor, Dan Fleuris: Q: Well, I’ll start with the obvious question: what led you to write War Minister? A: (Andrew) If I can answer first: Elahe and I met in 1976, and for thirty-four years now, she and her family – particularly her late father – have regaled...
What is it like to be a child with four mothers? Or to be just one of many wives, owned by a powerful husband? How do you embrace life, when behind the body of every promise lurks the shadow of a conspiracy? An epic odyssey through twentieth century Iran, The House That War Minister Built explores...
Andrew Imbrie Dayton received his undergraduate degree from Princeton, and advanced doctoral degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, where he met and married Elahe. He subsequently did postdoctoral studies at Harvard and now lives in the Washington, DC area. He has previously published short fiction in the Potomac Review and is a...
Elahe Talieh Dayton was born, raised and educated in Iran, eventually earning a doctorate from the University of Tehran. Subsequently she emigrated to the United States to study at the University of Pennsylvania, where she met and married Andy and earned another doctoral degree, followed by postdoctoral work at Harvard. She and Andy live...