“Woodwind Harmony in the Nighttime,” a surrealist Persian novel by Iranian writer Reza Ghassemi, has been translated into English by Brown University professor Michelle Quay. Set in 1990s Paris, the darkly comic apartment novel portrays a group of immigrants sharing a cramped building. The story centers on Yadollah, an Iranian exile suffering from a disjointed sense of time and self-invisibility, reflecting the fragmented experience of exile. First published in Persian in 1996, the novel won major literary prizes in Iran following its 2002 republication during a period of relaxed censorship. Ghassemi, banned in Iran post-Revolution, now lives in Paris and is also known for his plays and musical works. The novel blends everyday immigrant life with supernatural elements, including angels of death and mythological creatures, creating a volatile atmosphere where mundane routines mix with underlying tensions. A murder in the building serves less as a mystery than a catalyst for exploring how Yadollah and others confront violence amid crowded, uneasy coexistence. The translation introduces English readers to a richly textured portrait of exile, community, and cultural dislocation.