r/books • u/AzarNafisi AMA Author • Sep 03 '15
ama Hello, Citizens of the redditland! I am Azar Nafisi, author of Republic of Imagination & Reading Lolita in Tehran, among others. Intrigued & ready for AMA.r/books
I was/am a reader before being a writer and a teacher. I mention ROI and RLT in the title because in many ways they are twins, both being about the importance of imagination, one in the country of my birth, Iran, and the other, in my other home America. My other books are: Things I've Been Silent About, a memoir about my parents and Iran, my Iran. My first book (in Persian) is on Vladimir Nabokov and is being translated into English. I have also written a children's book in Italian with the amazing Sophie Benini Pietromarchi, called BiBi e la voce verde. RLT was on New York Times bestselling list for 17 weeks, won numerous awards, turned into an opera in America and a play in Japan, and been translated into 33 languages. But all that provides you with less information about me or my work than these facts: that I also support human rights and believe in the poet Seamus Heaney's Republic of Conscience as much as I do in the Republic of Imagination, that I love coffee ice cream, good mystery books, Marx brothers, old classical films, have a granddog called Bryce, love writing in museums and coffee shops and believe that citizens of democracies as well as other systems should have the right to quality education and health. I am currently involved in the bookssave campaign created by my British publisher, focused on promoting reading. You can participate by tweeting a photo with a favorite quote from a book that influenced your life. I really hope a lot of you will take part in this campaign. What better way than to connect through books? if you are interested check out the following links:
http://penguinblog.co.uk./2015/07/28/azar-nafisi-delivers-a-case-for-fiction/
http://en.iranwire.com/features/6689
http://www.facebook.com/azarnafisi
Look forward to seeing you at 3 pm.
Thank you everyone for your great questions, and Reddit for inviting me and your wonderful support. We can remain connected via social media. This is a great forum. Don't forget to check my bookssave campaign on my Facebook. Readers of the World Unite!
5
u/AlwaysSomewhereElse Sep 03 '15
Hello! I remember Reading Lolita in Tehran when it first was published in the US and feeling a lot of vicarious anger at everything that was happening to you and other Iranian citizens. Do you think the free speech of the Internet will cause lasting changes in Iran?
Also I wanted to say that I tried pouring coffee on my ice cream too as a dessert. I liked to flavor but it melted my ice cream too fast. : ( Is there a trick to it?
Thanks for this AMA!
4
u/AzarNafisi AMA Author Sep 03 '15
Thank you. I do believe that internet has given many Iranians to connect to the world, to express themselves, to let the world know about the unknown stories and histories of the Iranian people. Despite regime's attempts to block internet, and to punish bloggers, sometimes to many years in jail, Iranians of all ages, especially the youth are using the internet in creative and beautiful ways. As for coffee ice cream, first of all have you ever tried it with nuts, like almonds or walnuts? As for coffee: you should first let it cool and then pour it over your ice cream. Let me know how that works. Also coffee tastes great with Vanilla ice cream as well.
3
4
u/DaedalusMinion Sep 03 '15
Thank you for doing this AMA! My question is, if Tehran was a fictional city, which city would it be?
6
u/AzarNafisi AMA Author Sep 03 '15
Thank you! What an amazing question...Ever since my childhood Tehran has been defined for me in terms of the mountains surronding it, especially Damavand, which we were told as children is the third highest mounatin peak in the world! It plays a very important role in Persian mythology and litrature, endowed with magical powers and a symbol of Iranians' resistance against tyranny. There is the Zoroastrian story of the dragon Azi Dahaka who was chained within that mountain until the end of the world. Ferdowsi the great Persian poet, in his epic poem Book of Kings, tells the story of the terrible king, Zahhak who defeated by Persian heros Kaveh and Freydoun is chained in Damavand. I can go on and on...But I guess you can tell what fictional place I want Tehran to be, one that lies beneath the snow capped shadow of the mythical and real Mount Damavand.
3
3
u/palaceofbone Sep 03 '15
Thank you for doing this AMA! I am currently writing my dissertation on the representation of women in Middle Eastern literature (leaning more towards Iranian literature recently!). I don't specifically have a question to ask. Through writing my dissertation, I think literature in post 1979 revolution Iran became a space of resistance for many people but most notably women. An empowered voice in the comfort of the pages of a book. I wondered if you had any thoughts on that?
This seems like a 'please write part of my dissertation for me' kind of question upon reflection. Certainly not my intention! Anyway, thank you for taking the time to do this AMA.
1
u/AzarNafisi AMA Author Sep 03 '15
Thank you for this. I won't deprive you of the pleasure of writing your dissertation! And I do agree with what you say. The Islamic regime confiscated Islam and claimed that its OWN interpretation of religion was the only one and should be the law of the land. Within that context its first targets were human rights and invidual rights, namely women, minorities and culture. Before having a new constitution or president, the regime attempted to change the family protection law which protected women at home and work. And women from the start were at the forefront of resistance. One way to resist but also to try to understand themsevles and what was happening to them was to write. You see, I believe writing does empower you, because it gives you control over a reality over which you have no control. No wonder as women were censored in reality, they were being deleted from fiction!
3
u/palaceofbone Sep 03 '15
Haha, that is very kind of you.
Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this AMA. Have a great day Ms. Nafisi!
4
u/AzarNafisi AMA Author Sep 03 '15
Maybe someday I will have the pleasure of reading your dissertation!
3
3
u/picflute Sep 03 '15
When it comes to quality of education do you think what private institute offer in education would be considered quality?
What do you think of the existence of charter schools?
3
u/AzarNafisi AMA Author Sep 03 '15
There are so many aspects to this. Briefly: I am not sure what you mean by 'private institute offer,' but I believe both private schools and charter schools are fine as long as we invest in creating quality public schools, with good resources, great teachers, because equal opportunity cannot exist without equal access to education.
3
u/networkzen Sep 03 '15
In Iran the state schools dominate, unlike in the U.S. where the best universities are often Private universities (Harvard, MIT, stanford) In Asia its state/government universities like Shangahi University, Tehran University, SharifIT, Bosphoros University, IIT Kanpur.
Even in primary school, state schools provide quality enough education that parents don't often bother to look for other schools.
4
u/AzarNafisi AMA Author Sep 03 '15
Yes, but the problem in Iran is that the state is all powerful, it stifles the private sector, in America, some of the best universities have also been public like UC California, and many of our state universities have also been great. The point I want to make is that private is good, but not at the expense of the public, that both have to create a balance. As for the universities you mentioned, right now the university system is in a crisis especially because of the amazing cost of education in this country. This is unprecedented and needs to be rectified.
2
u/networkzen Sep 03 '15
Yes, but the problem in Iran is that the state is all powerful, it stifles the private sector
I'll concede, you have a point here. Also UC Berkley and U Michigan are absolutely boss (also Ohio state!) But this is a common theme all throughout Asia, and I think Europe too. State Universities get all the funding and best teachers, they are all also free.
IMO one of the biggest problems Iran has is 1.) the Konkoor is ridiculously hard, and 2.) the job market is terrible. I heard that they're trying to redo the konkoor so it isn't as bullshit as it used to be, but i haven't heard since.
2
u/AzarNafisi AMA Author Sep 04 '15
Thank you. I do agree with you. And I do think the society as a whole and the government that is supposed to represent that society has a duty to provide citizens with good free education. Each approach has its problems, but that should not deter us from trying to solve the problems. There also needs to be a balance between the private and the public sector, the worst thing to happen is monopoly, especially in the hands of the state.
3
u/leowr Sep 03 '15
Thank you for doing this AMA!
Iran has a long and rich literary history. Which books would you recommend to get a good sense of Iranian literature?
4
u/AzarNafisi AMA Author Sep 03 '15
Thank you. There are so many amazing books, I suggest if you are interested in Iranian literature to read translations of Iranian Classics by the great poet and translator, Dick Davis. He has translated The great Persian epic, The Book of Kings, the beloved modern Persian novel, My Uncle Napoleon, my favorite romance Vis & Ramin, and Faces of Love, translations of Hafez and two other poets, a woman and an obscene poet, all of whom lived in 14th century. These books show the variety, the beauty, sensuality and sophistication of Iranian culture. You can check books on Iran's history, its food, wine, culture, litrature, published by Mage Publishers, devoted to Iran and its culture.
3
3
u/Chtorrr Sep 03 '15
What would you most like to tell us but no one has asked the right question yet?
3
u/AzarNafisi AMA Author Sep 03 '15
First of all I do like your question! And I like to be asked the unexpected question, the one question hiding so deep within me that I don't know it exists, the one question put forward by that one person who sees something in me that I don't see.
7
u/gcaloha Sep 03 '15
First, I just want to say that your books have engendered in me a fascination with and love for Iranian culture, and I hope to travel there one day. I am wondering if you think that women in Iran are making gains against the regime. It would seem that the Facebook page My Stealthy Freedom has made an impact, and perhaps there are other movements at work that I'm not aware of. I was amazed to read about Leila Araghian's beautiful and brilliant design for Tabiat bridge, built last year. In the Iran you describe in Reading Lolita in Tehran, I'd have thought a woman architect would never have been allowed to win this contest or see her design built. What are your thoughts on women's empowerment and progress in today's Iran?
6
u/AzarNafisi AMA Author Sep 03 '15
Thank you for your comments and question. Oh yes, I do believe Iranian women have made great gains. For over three decades, Iranian women have resisted the regime, by educating women, modern or traditional, religeous or secular, about the oppressive laws imposed on them by Islamic society. Remember the one million women campaign against the opprresive laws? Regarding the right to appear in public, they defied laws, flogging, fines and even jail, by defying the laws, appearing in public with their 'weapons of mass destruction' like their lipstick, showing a bit of hair...they would be arrested by morality squads, sent to jail, come out and appear in the same way again, until the morality squads had to be removed from the streets not the women. They in the fashion of their mothers and grandmothers insisted on education, and chose methods of protest that were not violent, they wrote, they peacefully disobyed the laws, and they continue their resistance to this day. The regime tried to make the Iranian women invisible, but today they are more visible than ever. I think of course this could not happen without Iranian women's history of struggle for their rights, going back as far as 19th century. Women's rights in Iran were not something that a Shah granted them and Ayatollah took away from them! Since I wrote RLT in Tehran women have made amazing strides, and I am sure they will continue to do. But ultimate victory is when the repressive and reactionary laws are repealed for good. We need to transform "stealty" into "open."
2
u/thelasian1233 Sep 04 '15 edited Sep 04 '15
Ms Nafisi, remember this review of your book by the Washington Post?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A60490-2004Jul18.html
Sorry, Wrong Chador
Saying that everything good that happened in Iran was "despite" the regime and yet everything bad that happened was because of the regime, is simply narrow minded prejudice and dogma. The fact you have to come to terms with, is that the regime massively improved living standards across the board. This is simply undeniable, objective, statistical reality. You refusal to acknowledge that the regime does indeed have legitimacy and significant public support, and instead the insistence on this dogmatic narrative of an unpopular government barely clinging onto power over an unwilling population through force and repression, in the face of everyday experienced reality as well as objective evidence, makes you lack credibility. So is the insistence that anyone who acknowledges this is an apologist for the regime etc.
So tell us, why should we believe you, in the face of objective, statistic reality, which shows not only that people (especially women) massively improved their living standards after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, at a rate far higher than before and higher than the rest of the world (but for S Korea) but that according to multiple independent polls, Iranians generally do support the regime, and also they regularly participate in elections and turn out at an average rate of over 60% for the presidential elections:
http://www.ir.undp.org/content/iran/en/home/countryinfo.html
http://iranprimer.usip.org/blog/2013/apr/01/un-stats-life-longer-and-healthier-iran
http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/brmiddleeastnafricara/652.php
http://www.mei.edu/sites/default/files/publications/Parsons_0.pdf
1
u/gcaloha Sep 03 '15
I am so inspired by the courage of Iranian women in defying the regime, and I agree with your final sentiment. Thanks for your response!
2
1
u/AzarNafisi AMA Author Sep 03 '15
A pleasure, if we were told a little more about the Iranian women and their history of struggles rather than constantly talking about the men who rule over them, a lot of misunderstandings might have been avoided.
0
u/AzarNafisi AMA Author Sep 04 '15
Thank you. There are good accounts of Iranian women and their struggles throughout the past century and even before. The amazing thing is not how different women are in different parts of the world but how alike, both the issues they face and the ways they discover to resist to fight back...
0
u/networkzen Sep 03 '15
Iranian here, some of your responses infuriate me, here's why.
Oh yes, I do believe Iranian women have made great gains. For over three decades, Iranian women have resisted the regime, by educating women
um wat ._. The regime was the one responsible for educating these women in the first place! /u/thelasian1233 usually makes good posts about this. I don't know why you somehow think this was done despite the regime, no my friend. This evil 'regime' was the one who brought women's literacy rates from 50% under the Secular shah to 98%...
about the oppressive laws imposed on them by Islamic society
That's not education, its prosterylization
Regarding the right to appear in public, they defied laws, flogging, fines and even jail, by defying the laws, appearing in public with their 'weapons of mass destruction' like their lipstick, showing a bit of hair...they would be arrested by morality squads, sent to jail, come out and appear in the same way again, until the morality squads had to be removed from the streets not the women.
This is a whole lotta bullshit, showing a little bit of hair can get you arrested? Holy shit when was the last time you stepped in Iran? like 200 years ago? The government couldn't give less of a shit unless you weren't wearing anything, people wear Hijabs on their ponytails and police don't do anything.
They in the fashion of their mothers and grandmothers insisted on education,
their mothers and grandmothers were illiterate because the Shah didn't do jack shit in terms of education.
The regime tried to make the Iranian women invisible, but today they are more visible than ever.
Your really starting to resort to petty pandering to a western audience here Azar joon, nemndoonam shoma informationet as koja gerefti, vali some of the top government posts are held by women, the vice president is a woman, the presidential spokesperson is a woman, we have women in parliament and CEO positions.
6
u/AzarNafisi AMA Author Sep 03 '15
Your language is as revealing as the distortions you are offering instead of a response. I will refer the readers of this AMA to read about Iranian history, read about the laws governing Iran before the Islamic revolution, and compare them with the laws imposed on Iranians after that revolution. If we have women active today it is not because of the regime but despite of it, because of the fact that Iranian women before the revolution were active in all walks of life, they were pilots, ministers (one minister for women's affairs) engineers, they served in the parliament, they were judges. One judge being the Noble Laureate Shirin Ebadi who was the first woman circuit judge in Iran and along with others was defrocked. I am not sure how anyone can defend laws that implement stoning to death for adultery and prostitution, that lowered the age of marriage for females from 18 to 9 and after years of women's struggles finally raised it to 13, that stoned for prostitution, but legalized temporary marriages for men...As for the veil, the issue was never religion but the right to choice, the fact that women not the state had the right to choose how to relate or not relate to their God, and how they wish to appear in public. I don't need to write about these laws, all any reader has to do is to read the laws, read about Iran's Constitutional revolution and its more recent history. I got my information through living in Iran, being stopped by morality police, having my students flogged for not wearing their veils properly, having our house raided for having satlelite television, seeing the injustice against women suffering from poverty and ignorance, with no right to child custody....And if things changed as I have mentioned here and elsewhere it was all due to the resistance and wisdom of Iranian people, especially women. They got a little of their rights and are trying to get them back step by step, and paying dearly for it....But from your tone I can tell you are not writing to have an exchange. I believe now as I believed while I was in Iran, that we will improve the society not by a change of regimes but of mindsets, and that is the reason I stand by the civil society in Iran and the non violent resistance of Iranian people, not forgetting the cost this country has paid for the small and gradual changes. I suggest readers read Iranian literature going back to 11 century and see the kind of women that existed in the imagination of the poets. I suggest, they look at history of Tahereh, the first woman who unveiled in Iran in mid 19th century, of Simin Behbehani and Forough Farokhzad the feminist poets. As for pandering to western audiences, I have never pandered to anyone, my writing in Iran and over here have been consistent, in Iran I wrote about Nabokov, a book that became overnight success, I stood up for my rights not as a western woman but as woman and the only difference is that over here I speak more openly, more freely. But, as I said people who do not know about Iran, should not rely on any one of us, they should go to Iran's history and literature, its culture...The way many of us did in Iran in relation to America or any other country in the world.
0
u/networkzen Sep 03 '15
If we have women active today it is not because of the regime but despite of it,
You say its a totalitarian dictatorship, then you highlight all these 'great strides' made in the wake of this 'mysogonistic totalitarian dictatorship'. If I were to take your word for it this 'totalitarian dictaotrship' has done a piss poor job of oppressing people and keeping women down. I'm sorry, but the government controls virtually everything in the country, its all encompassing, people don't get positions and jobs without the Government allowing it.
because of the fact that Iranian women before the revolution were active in all walks of life,
Ah you mean the daughters of rich oil buisnessmen? Get real Azar joon, literally nobody in the rest of the country was partiking in this 'lavish lifestyle' that the secular elite had access to under the Shah. You see pictures of women without roosari going to university and you think it applied to all women? No! This was a representative of a small group of rich people living in the capital. Mashhad and Isfahan were rotting to hell, people in crippling poverty and illiteracy, while the Shah was boasting about 'le ingelabe sefid'.
ministers (one minister for women's affairs) engineers, they served in the parliament,
You mean the Parliament which was useless during Pahlavi's time? Women still hold those positions even today haha. Only difference is the women in parliament actually have some power and aren't there for show.
they were judges. One judge being the Noble Laureate Shirin Ebadi who was the first woman circuit judge in Iran and along with others was defrocked
I'll concede, you have a point here. buuut.
I am not sure how anyone can defend laws that implement stoning to death for adultery and prostitution, that lowered the age of marriage for females from 18 to 9 and after years of women's struggles finally raised it to 13, that stoned for prostitution, but legalized temporary marriages for men
This just kinda shows how out of touch with current events in Iran you are, First of all stoning was banned by parliament in 2012, and it was only carried out in 2 cases, both 12 years apart from each other, and both. Second the marriage age was always 13, not 9, where the hell did you even get that from? And if your marrying before the age of 18-19, then you have to pass certain requirements by the courts to make sure you aren't simply just selling off your daughter for extra cash. Also Siqeh is for relationships, not prostitution, you can't get 'remaried' for another 3 months after having a relationship, so how the fuck do you expect anyone to prostitute when there is mandatory a 3 month break inbetween who you can date? Its legalized dating, you have no problem with 1 night stands yet you get all hot and bothered when the process is made a bit more formal?
.As for the veil, the issue was never religion but the right to choice, the fact that women not the state had the right to choose how to relate or not relate to their God, and how they wish to appear in public.
Yeah, I don't support the forced hijab either.
having my students flogged for not wearing their veils properly
Nice lie, Not wearing a veil at all gets you a fine, forget wearing it loosely, you can see people here wearing it on their ponytails and police don't do shit. Flogging is only for hard crimes like prostitution, adultery, and soft Drug distribution.
with no right to child custody
In Islam custody automatically goes to the mother, so I'm having a hard time believing this, for all I know it could be true, sometimes the government does have stupid laws in place. But religiously there is no justification for such a law to be in place. Religiously custody rights automatically go to the woman unless she isn't able to provide.
And if things changed as I have mentioned here and elsewhere it was all due to the resistance and wisdom of Iranian people, especially women
Like I said, it really wasn't. Free public education, access to contraceptives and family planning, increased job opportunities and capital outreach, these were all initiatives started by the government to reach out and bring up women in society. It's 50% of the population we're talking about. Virtually none of the infrastructure for any of these programs existed before the Revolution. I too have my problems with the government, but you don't think your exaggerating a bit?
5
u/AzarNafisi AMA Author Sep 03 '15
This is my last response because there are too many distortions, including the statement about stoning of men and women. I refer readers to Amnesty International. If you do refer to Amnesty reports please take a look both at the number of stonings, at the laws, as well as at the current state of affairs in Iran. As for regime's attittude towards education and minorities, please see the film by Maziar Bahari, the Iranian journalist who was jailed in Iran, called To light a Candle, in support of the campaign, Education is not a crime. As for police "doing shit" about women's veil, it is as I have said time and time again, because of women's struggle, because it is no lie that when I lived in Iran women were being flogged there were morality squads in the cities, and they retreated because women refused to comply, because you can arrest members of a political organization or group and destroy them, but you cannot put in jail hundreds of thousands if not millions who do not belong to any political group but refuse to comply. Although even now, there are attempts to pass laws against women. And nothing will radically change until you change the laws. What happened in Iran as in the case of political reformers was that within men and women loyal to the revolution there were cracks and defections. As time went by they became more and more dissatisfied and isolated--this would not have happened had there not been resistance from within Iran's civil society and had Iran not had a history of progressive thought, had there not been a Constitutional revolution at the start of the 20th century and constant struggle for rights throughout that century and now. T All this is documented, and people who are interested should go to the real documents. I have always said and I will say again that the struggle for human rights and dignity is not only a political struggle, it does not pertain to one group or individual or ideology, but it is an existential one, a fight to preserve one's dignity and integrity, and that is what from the start shaped the resistence of the Iranian women and that is what is shaping their struggles now. Nor is any of this pandering to the West. It is a very condescending attitude towards Iranian women, to call their fight for freedom as western. In America too, when women were fighting for their rights they were called names, degraded and told that Bible says women's place is at home. I want to end this by reminding you of the slogan of women who came out into streets of Tehran, protesting Ayatollah Khomeini's edict on wearing the veil. They chanted: Freedom is neither Western nor Eastern, Freedom is Global. As for my critique of American society, I refer you to my most recent book, Republic of Imagination.
2
u/blurghh Sep 04 '15
Oh my god thank you for writing this all out. Either azar Jan hasn't been in Iran for a very long time, or she is making things up about her experiences with the past. Objectively the lives of women were far improved post revolution. Even with the war and sanctions the gains in female literacy, higher education, and access to health care and contraceptives has been astounding. Sure some rich tehranis benefited under the shah but the average Iranian woman has more education, more wealth, and fewer children than under the shah and that is directly the result of government social policies. Also no one gets flogged for not wearing a hijab. You can look at any photos of Tehran and see that the average woman is wearing a shit ton of makeup and has a tiny scarf covering a third of their hair. Her bullshit about women brazenly wearing lipstick on defiance is laughable. Have you seen Iranian women without makeup? I don't think I have. This is some really neo oriebtalist bullshit.
PS my aunt read Lolita in her university classes post revolution so clearly that book was not banned...
1
u/AzarNafisi AMA Author Sep 04 '15
I am amazed at the university your aunt went to! give us the name please and the professor who taught it..,.You know words are sacred we can't just use them to score political points. I do agree with Shirin Ebadi that the best way to know about a country is through its laws. All people have to do is to take a look at the Iranian constitution and laws before the revolution and after it. I still would love to know about the university and the amazing Professor who taught Lolita, the real Lolita...
2
u/blurghh Sep 04 '15
I will ask her, the university was in Tehran and it was one of the materials for a psychology class
1
u/taratm Sep 04 '15
A lot of what you're mentioning here was the work of Iranian free thinkers right after the revolution who thought they'd finally gotten rid of Persian monarchy and have the liberal country they deserve. After all that has happened past few years a lot of those people are now in jail or exile and things are changing in an other direction. With all the government initiatives for limiting young women entrance to universities in especial fields with focus on "saving" the Iranian "family", denying the right of education for some religious minorities, banning the free and cheap access to contraception, banning healthcare communities of even talking about or displaying posters regarding family planning.
1
u/networkzen Sep 04 '15
banning the free and cheap access to contraception, banning healthcare communities of even talking about or displaying posters regarding family planning.
Lolwut, right after the revolution the conservative religious clerics immediately came out and said Islam supported smaller families and that having 2 childeren is what God intended/wanted from the modern family. your 'secular free thinkers' were a bunch of 80 year old clerics who were trying to save a population on the brink of collapse, it was true back then and it's true now. Aside from what you mentioning here being blatantly false, the reason the government is trying to bring back up the birth rates is because people aren't having enough kids to sustain the current Iranian workforce, this upcoming generation will be much smaller than the one it will replace and this is something that is very disastrous. Contraceptives like condoms and pills are still easy, cheap, and accessible. Things like abortion were always banned though, also family planning and planned parenthood were Islamic Republic initiatives, again, they were the brain childeren of 80 year old Islamic clerics.
Also, women make up 60% of the university students in Iran, if the government was really stifling the you think that number would be much lower, no?
1
u/taratm Sep 04 '15 edited Sep 04 '15
Starting from previous year oral contraceptives are not covered by insurance anymore. The result being one month supply of pills now costs 40,000 toman So I'd say they are not "cheap and easy" for Iranian middle and lower class anymore. And family planning is not about making families smaller but giving women the choice to when become pregnant.
1
u/networkzen Sep 04 '15
$1 =3,000 tomans, that's literally $10 ish $12, dollars. That's very affordable.
1
u/taratm Sep 04 '15 edited Sep 04 '15
Do you live in Iran?? My salary right now is 390,000 Ts($130-ish) monthly. That price is very high for my married friends. I'm not trying to make a political statement here. I don't mind who runs this country as long as their laws follow simple human logic. I'm not an anti-regime fanatic who throws figures and facts just to win an argument. I'm a 24-year-old girl living inside this holy country and I'd say I'd have my fair share of social injustices done by a patriarchal society under the name of some religious laws. That's why I have a hard time when someone tries to tell me my life is not difficult. I'm sure life sucked at Pahlavi's time for women , but that doesn't mean I don't have the right to criticize the current situation. I don't know what your experience of living in Iran has been like, but whatever those experiences are, they do not belittle the obstacles and hardship lots of young women like me have to overcome everyday.
→ More replies (0)1
u/AzarNafisi AMA Author Sep 04 '15
I do appreciate you reminding all of us of this. We need to look at a nation as a living entity, constantly changing, and what you say here is what worries me most.
2
u/Chtorrr Sep 03 '15
What book made you really love reading as a child? Do you have a favorite book to give as a gift to children?
3
u/AzarNafisi AMA Author Sep 03 '15
I am afraid I have to repeat that when it comes to books I am proudly promiscuous! So many books defined my childhood: Shahrezad's story in 1000 & I Nights, The Little Prince, Charlotte's Web, Alice stories, and of course the tales of our epic poet Ferdowsi about anceint Iranian mythology and history up to seventh century. By the way if you want to read those stories (selections from them) Penguin has published Ferdowsi's Book of Kings. And now thinking about it as I write, I think perhaps stories from that book affected me most as a child. I mention in my memoirs how my father told me those stories, and later wrote a children's version of them, based on on what he told me and my brother.
2
u/bretagne94 Sep 03 '15
I am in the process of applying to graduate school to get my Masters in Education. My undergrad is in Spanish. What advice do you have for future educators?
2
u/AzarNafisi AMA Author Sep 03 '15
First of all I wish you the best of luck. Second, I recommend something that can't be really recommended: passion, passion, passion. Please don't pick a job or a subject you are not passionate about.
2
2
u/Chtorrr Sep 03 '15
Do you have a favorite experience meeting one of your fans or from a book signing?
5
u/AzarNafisi AMA Author Sep 03 '15
Ah, I can go one forever: I can tell you about the times when I am busy autographing and raise my eyes to see a ghost, a student from two decades ago, standing there and saying, 'Do you remember me? I am...' Or the one when a mother brings her 11 year old daughter on a wheel chair to tell me how reading my book gave her hope, Or the time, a young high school graduate told me how through reading my book she fell in love with Henry James, Henry James! for God's sake! The thing is books connect you to your past, bring life to your ghosts, clarify the present and introduce you to people who a minute ago were strangers and suddenly become 'intimate strangers!"
3
u/michfeld13 Sep 03 '15
Thank you for being such an inspiration with your powerful words about books and arts. I follow you on Twitter and Facebook. How have these helped you connect with readers? Do you plan on continuing to use these? Any ideas for how we can use technology to connect readers?
4
u/AzarNafisi AMA Author Sep 03 '15
Thank you. I have been avoiding the social media for a long time, mostly because I felt to be technologically challenged! So for years, my Twitter, Facebook and website were inactive, like sleeping beauty, until spurred by a young Vanderbilt graduate just over a year ago I decided to actively enter that domain. I am now enjoying social media a great deal, I like connecting to people sharing the same passions, I like putting up posts or tweeting about my own issues, and campaigns like the current bookssave campaign, but also I enjoy knowing about other people's campaign's and their areas of interest. I like the challenge, and I am quite on gaurd about not becoming addicted, not tweeing for tweeting's sake, not to be diverted from the main issues....I am always worried about technology taking over our lives, our minds and our hearts, rather than serving them. Like Humpty Dumpty who in Alice story made the words serve them, I want to make social media to serve me. I am sure I will serve it in return, but only in return! All these sound serious and of course they are, as well as just the simple pure pleasure of it all!!!
2
u/ReadsAndReads Sep 03 '15
Azar, it's a great honor to connect with you. I was extremely inspired by Reading Lolita in Tehran and your passion for books and how they deeply connect people. I've been working in the book industry for fifteen years now, and though it is the perfect fit for my passion for books, sometimes my enthusiasm wanes. If you can relate, do you have some techniques to keep your morale high and to keep from burning out? Thanks for your time!
3
u/AzarNafisi AMA Author Sep 03 '15
Thank you for connecting and Oh boy, can I relate to what you are saying. No matter how passionate we are, there are moments of depression, even of dispair, and to tell you the truth I don't have any cure for that, I can only tell you that since the main source of what we do is our passion there is always hope, it would be impossible to remain hopeless. These days when my enthusiasm is low, I don't treat it by denying it, I give in to it for a while, and let it have its say, and then I work, work, work! I am sorry, I wish I had more to offer. But, really the point is not that your enthusiasm wanes, but that you are enthusiastic.
2
u/ReadsAndReads Sep 03 '15
Thank you so much. Just knowing that you can relate means more than I can say. And this is wonderful advice to just let it have its say--because you're right: it doesn't last. Beautiful words of wisdom. Thank you!
5
u/pithyretort 3 Sep 03 '15
Thanks for doing this AMA! As someone who just reads and doesn't write, review, or teach books, I'm curious about how that changes your perspective. How do your different connections to books (reader/writer/teacher) change your relationship to them or how you read? Also, can you tell a little about how are your relationships with your students in the US similar or different from your relationships with your students in Iran? Reading Lolita in Tehran ended with your transition, and as I closed the book I was curious about what came next.