If you loved
The Colonel
Mahmoud Dowlatabadi · Book · 2012
What hooked you in The Colonel is the haunting way that state-sponsored cruelty inevitably fractures the sanctity of the domestic home.
Films on the same thread
Persepolis
Marjane Satrapi · Film · 2007
Explores: Iranian Revolution, Loss of Innocence, Exile and Identity.
Like The Colonel, this story captures the personal toll of the Iranian Revolution, showing how political upheaval and loss of innocence permanently reshape a family's internal world.
The Pianist
Roman Polanski · Film · 2002
Explores: survival against the odds, dehumanization, loss of identity.
This film mirrors the harrowing survival depicted in The Colonel, focusing on how individuals maintain their humanity and sense of self while trapped under oppressive, dehumanizing regimes.
The Lives of Others
Film · 2006
Explores: Surveillance, Censorship, Humanity.
The Colonel explores the intrusion of state authority into private life, a theme echoed here as surveillance forces a moral awakening within a regime that demands total conformity.
The Seed of the Sacred Fig
Mohammad Rasoulof · Film · 2024
Explores: Paranoia, Political Unrest, Family Breakdown.
This film shares the claustrophobic tension of The Colonel, illustrating how authoritarian pressure at the national level inevitably triggers paranoia and the internal breakdown of the family unit.
Series on the same thread
Chernobyl
Craig Mazin · Series · 2019
Explores: Nuclear Disaster, Government Cover-Up, Sacrifice.
If you valued the historical weight of The Colonel, this analysis of cyclical power dynamics will resonate as it breaks down the patterns that lead to societal collapse.
Shōgun
Rachel Kondo · Series · 2024
Explores: Power Struggle, Cultural Clash, Survival.
While set in a different era, this series captures the same brutal power struggles found in The Colonel, where political instability forces individuals to navigate shifting, dangerous loyalties.
The Terror
David Kajganich · Series · 2018
Explores: Survival, Isolation, Madness.
This series reflects the bleak, psychological weight of The Colonel, focusing on how extreme isolation and hostile environments drive characters toward madness and desperate acts of survival.
The Handmaid's Tale
Bruce Miller · Series · 2017
Shares a thread with The Colonel: Oppression.
This dystopian narrative echoes the themes of systemic oppression in The Colonel, depicting a society where state-mandated roles strip citizens of their freedom and fracture their family connections.
Podcasts on the same thread
Revolutions
Mike Duncan · Podcast · 2025
Explores: societal collapse, power dynamics, cyclical history.
If The Colonel hit, Revolutions shares the thread.
Bag Man
Rachel Maddow, MS NOW · Podcast · 2023
Explores: corruption, political scandal, accountability.
The Colonel highlights the rot within political systems, a subject this podcast explores by exposing the systemic corruption and scandals that occur when authority operates without true accountability.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The Colonel available to read in Iran?
No, The Colonel is currently banned in Iran. Despite being written by a master of Iranian letters, the political nature of the content led to its prohibition within the country, though it has received international recognition including the 2013 Jan Michalski Prize and a Man Asian Literary Prize longlisting.
How long did it take to write The Colonel?
The author, Mahmoud Dowlatabadi, spent ten years writing The Colonel. This extensive period of creation resulted in a novel that directly engages with the political history of Iran and the experiences of a people living under successive oppressive regimes throughout the nation's recent history.
What awards has The Colonel won?
The Colonel was the winner of the 2013 Jan Michalski Prize. Additionally, the novel was recognized by the literary community through its inclusion on the longlist for the Man Asian Literary Prize, reflecting its status as a significant work by a prominent master of Iranian letters.
What is the premise of The Colonel?
The Colonel begins on a rainy, pitch-black night and depicts the struggles of a tortured people living under successive oppressive regimes in Iran. The narrative serves as a fearless engagement with contemporary Iranian politics and the historical hardships faced by the population throughout the country's turbulent years.