TEHRAN-The Persian translation of the 1990 hardboiled mystery novel “Devil in a Blue Dress” written by American author Walter Mosley has been released in the bookstores across Iran.

Translated by Roxana Sanamyar, the book has been published by Elmi Farhangi Publications, IRNA reported.

The first published book by Mosley, the text centers on the main character, Ezekiel "Easy" Rawlins, and his transformation from a day laborer into a detective.

It is a defining novel in Mosley’s bestselling Easy Rawlins mystery series. Set in the late 1940s, in the African-American community of Watts, Los Angeles, it follows Easy Rawlins, a black war veteran just fired from his job at a defense plant. One day, while wondering how he'll meet his mortgage, a white man offers him good money if he simply locates Miss Daphne Monet, a blonde beauty known to frequent black jazz clubs.

The novel is an important contribution to African-American and ethnic detective fiction in that it focuses on a black protagonist who falls into the role of detective, but by the series' end, has made both the profession and the identity that often comes along with it his own. Particularly noteworthy are Easy's use of African-American English and the emergence of “the Voice” (an inner voice that advises Easy during particularly stressful or dangerous situations). Literary scholars of ethnic detective fiction have explored these qualities by means of genre study and gender identity approaches.

First published in 1990, “Devil in a Blue Dress” won the 1991 Shamus Award in the category of Best First P. I. Novel. The novel was adapted into a 1995 film of the same name, starring Denzel Washington as Easy Rawlins, and also featuring Jennifer Beals, Tom Sizemore, Maury Chaykin, as well as Don Cheadle.

Walter Mosley, 72, is the author of numerous works, from literary fiction and science fiction to a young adult novel and political monographs. His short fiction has been widely published, and his nonfiction has appeared in the New York Times Magazine and the Nation, among other publications. Mosley is the winner of numerous awards, including an O. Henry Award, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, a Grammy, and PEN America’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

SS/SAB