Azar Nafisi
Azar Nafisi | |
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Booksense), Persian Golden Lioness Award |
Azar Nafisi (
Nafisi has held several academic leadership roles, including director of the Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) Dialogue Project and Cultural Conversations, a Georgetown Walsh School of Foreign Service, Centennial Fellow, and a fellow at Oxford University.[3]
She is the niece of a famous Iranian scholar, fiction writer and poet
In addition to Reading Lolita in Tehran, Nafisi has authored, Things I've Been Silent About: Memories of a Prodigal Daughter,[6] The Republic of Imagination: America in Three Books[7] and That Other World: Nabokov and the Puzzle of Exile.[8] Her newest book, Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times was published March 8, 2022.[9]
Early life and education
Nafisi was born in Tehran, Iran. She is the daughter of Nezhat and Ahmad Nafisi, the former mayor of Tehran from 1961 to 1963. He was the youngest man ever appointed to the post at that time.[10] In 1963, her mother was a member of the first group of women elected to the National Consultative Assembly.[11]
Nafisi was raised in Tehran, but when she was thirteen, she moved to Lancaster, England, to finish her studies. She then moved to Switzerland before returning to Iran briefly in 1963. She completed her degree in English and American literature and received her Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma.[12]
Nafisi returned to Iran in 1979, after the Iranian Revolution and taught English literature at the University of Tehran.[13] In 1981, she was expelled from the university for refusing to wear the mandatory Islamic veil.[14] Years later, during a period of liberalization, she began teaching at Allameh Tabataba'I University. In 1995, Nafisi sought to resign from her position, but the university did not accept her resignation. After repeatedly not going to work, they eventually expelled her, but refused her ability to resign.[14][15]
From 1995 to 1997, Nafisi invited several female students to attend regular meetings at her house every Thursday morning. They discussed their place as women within post-revolutionary Iranian society. They studied literary works, including some considered "controversial" by the regime, such as Lolita alongside other works such as Madame Bovary. She also taught novels by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Henry James and Jane Austen, attempting to understand and interpret them from a modern Iranian perspective.[16][17]
After staying in Iran for 18 years after the Revolution, Nafisi returned to the United States of America on June 24, 1997, and continues to reside there today.
Literary and academic work
In addition to her books, Nafisi has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and The Wall Street Journal. Her cover story, "The Veiled Threat: The Iranian Revolution's Woman Problem," published in The New Republic (February 22, 1999) has been reprinted in several languages. She also wrote the new introduction to the Modern Library Classics edition of Tolstoy's Hadji Murad,[18] as well as the introduction to Iraj Pezeshkzad's My Uncle Napoleon, published by Modern Library (April 2006).[19] She has published a children's book (with illustrator Sophie Benini Pietromarchi) BiBi and the Green Voice (translated into Italian, as BiBi e la voce verde, and Hebrew).
She served as director of the Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) Dialogue Project and Cultural Conversations, a Georgetown Walsh School of Foreign Service Centennial Fellow, and a fellow at Oxford University.[3]
In 2003, Nafisi published
On October 21, 2014, Nafisi authored The Republic of Imagination: America in Three Books,
In 2019, the English translation of That Other World: Nabokov and the Puzzle of Exile was published by Yale University Press.[8] Nafisi's forthcoming book, Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times will be published on March 8, 2022.[22]
Nafisi has lectured and written extensively in English and Persian on the political implications of literature and culture, the human rights of Iranian women and girls and the important role they play in the change process for pluralism and open society in Iran. She has been consulted on issues related to Iran and human rights by policy makers and various human rights organizations in the U.S. and elsewhere. She is also involved in promoting not just literacy but of reading books with universal literary value. In 2011, she was awarded the Cristóbal Gabarrón Foundation International Thought and Humanities Award for her "determined and courageous defense of human values in Iran and her efforts to create awareness through literature about the situation women face in Islamic society".[23]
She also received the 2015 Benjamin Franklin Creativity Laureate Award.[24] She has been awarded honorary doctorates from Susquehanna University (2019), Pomona College (2015), Mt. Holyoke College (2012), Seton Hill University (2010), Goucher College (2009), Bard College (2007), Rochester University (2005) and Nazareth College. In 2018, she was named a Georgetown University/Walsh School of Foreign Service, Centennial Fellow.[25]
Critical acclaim
Nafisi's books have received critical acclaim from authors, publishing houses, and newspapers.
Reading Lolita in Tehran (2003)
Michiko Kakutani described Reading Lolita in Tehran in The New York Times Book Review as "resonant and deeply affecting… an eloquent brief on the transformative powers of fiction-- on the refuge from ideology that art can offer to those living under tyranny, and art's affirmative and subversive faith in the voice of the individual".[26] Stephen Lyons for USA Today called the book "an inspiring account of an insatiable desire for intellectual freedom in Iran",[27] and Publishers Weekly said of Reading Lolita, "This book transcends categorization as memoir, literary criticism or social history, though it is superb as all three."[28] Kirkus Reviews called Reading Lolita, "A spirited tribute both to the classics of world literature and to resistance against oppression."[29]
Margaret Atwood, renowned author of The Handmaids Tale, reviewed Nafisi's book for the Literary Review of Canada, stating that, "Reading Lolita in Tehran is both a fascinating account of how she arrived at this belief and a stunning dismissal of it. All readers should read it. As for writers, it reminds us, with great eloquence, that our words may travel farther and say more than we could ever guess when we wrote them."[30]
Things I've Been Silent About (2008)
After reviewing Things I've Been Silent About, The New York Times Book Review called Nafisi "a gifted storyteller with a mastery of Western literature, Nafisi knows how to use the language both to settle scores and to seduce".[31] Kirkus Reviews called the book "an immensely rewarding and beautifully written act of courage, by turns amusing, tender and obsessively dogged".[32]
The Republic of Imagination: America in Three Books (2014)
Iranian French novelist Marjane Satrapi's review of The Republic of Imagination, says, "We are all citizens of Azar Nafisi's Republic of Imagination. Without imagination, there are no dreams; without dreams, there is no art; without art, there is nothing. Her words are essential."[33]
Kirkus Reviews said the book is "a passionate argument for returning to key American novels to foster creativity and engagement… Literature writes Nafisi, is deliciously subversive because it fires the imagination and challenges the status quo… Her literary exegesis lightly moves through her experience as a student, teacher, friend, and new citizen. Touching on myriad examples, from L. Frank Baum to James Baldwin, her work is poignant and informative."[33]
She appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers,[36][37] and PBS NewsHour[38] to promote the book.
That Other World: Nabokov and the Puzzle of Exile (2019)
American literary critic Gary Saul Morson described That Other World as "somewhere between a first-person encounter with literature and a critical study; this book reminds us of how meaningful literature can be".
Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times (2022)
Publishers Weekly authored a starred review of Nafisi's forthcoming Read Dangerously, calling it a "stunning look at the power of reading" and characterizing Nafisi's prose as "razor-sharp".[39] The Progressive Magazine printed that Read Dangerously lives up to its audacious title, demonstrating the subversive and transformative power of literature. It should start many a book-based conversation among the living and the dead."[40]
Criticism
This article's "criticism" or "controversy" section may compromise the article's neutrality. (January 2014) |
In a 2003 article for The Guardian,
In 2004, Christopher Hitchens wrote that Nafisi had dedicated Reading Lolita in Tehran to Paul Wolfowitz, the United States Deputy Secretary of Defense under George W. Bush and a principal architect of the Bush Doctrine. Hitchens had stated that Nafisi was good friends with Wolfowitz and several other key figures in the Bush administration. Nafisi later responded to Hitchen's comments, neither confirming nor denying the claim.[42]
In a critical article in the academic journal Comparative American Studies, titled "Reading Azar Nafisi in Tehran",
John Carlos Rowe, Professor of the Humanities at the University of Southern California, states that: "Azar Nafisi's Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books (2003) is an excellent example of how neo-liberal rhetoric is now being deployed by neo-conservatives and the importance they have placed on cultural issues."[44] He also states that Nafisi is "amenable.. to serving as a non-Western representative of a renewed defense of Western civilization and its liberal promise, regardless of its historical failures to realize those ends."[45]
Hamid Dabashi: criticisms and counter-criticisms
In 2006,
Critics like Dabashi have accused Nafisi of having close relations with
Writing in
Works
- Nafisi, Azar. "Images of Women in Classical Persian Literature and the Contemporary Iranian Novel." The Eye of the Storm: Women in Post-Revolutionary Iran. Ed. Mahnaz Afkhami and Erika Friedl. New York: Syracuse University Press, 1994. 115–30.
- Anti-Terra: A Critical Study of Vladimir Nabokov’s Novels (1994).
- Nafisi, Azar. "Imagination as Subversion: Narrative as a Tool of Civic Awareness." Muslim Women and the Politics of Participation. Ed. Mahnaz Afkhami and Erika Friedl. New York: Syracuse University Press, 1997. 58–71.
- "Tales of Subversion: Women Challenging Fundamentalism in the Islamic Republic of Iran." Religious Fundamentalisms and the Human Rights of Women (1999).
- Reading Lolita in Tehran (2003).
- Things I've Been Silent About (Random House, 2008).
- The Republic of Imagination (Random House, 2014).
- "Foreword," Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Penguin Classics, 2014).
- That Other World: Nabokov and the Puzzle of Exile (Yale University Press, 2019). Translated from Persian by Lotfali Khonji.[56]
- "Foreword", Shahnameh (Penguin Random House, Dick Davis, 2016)
- Afterword to Sinclair Lewis's Babbitt (Signet Classics, 2015)
- Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times (Dey Street Books, 2022)
Notes
- ^ Following eighth grade, Nafisi's parents sent her to England for schooling from 1961 to 1963. Nafisi 2010, chapter 8, pp. 69-70; chapter 13, p. 115
References
- ^ "Moving stories: Azar Nafisi". BBC News. Middle East. 2 January 2004. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
- ^ Iranian-American author lectures at the Spanish National Library Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "About Azar". Azar Nafisi. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
- ^ "StevenBarclayAgency". Barclayagency.com. Archived from the original on 2015-03-29. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
- ^ "Yale University Office of Public Affairs". Opa.yale.edu. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
- ^ "Chatting Up A Storm with Claudia Cragg : Azar Nafisi --Talking of 'Lolita', 'Things I've Been Silent About' and the "Sarah Palins/Hilary Clintons of Iran..."". Ccragg123.libsyn.com. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
- ^ "The Republic of Imagination Classics – Penguin Classics – Because what you read matters. – Penguin Group (USA)". www.penguin.com. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ^ a b "That Other World | Yale University Press". yalebooks.yale.edu. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ^ "Read Dangerously". HarperCollins. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
- ^ "Azar Nafisi's Interactive Family Tree | Finding Your Roots | PBS". Finding Your Roots. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
- ^ "Nezhat Nafisi", Wikipedia, 2022-02-04, retrieved 2022-03-03
- hdl:11299/164018. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
- ^ "BBC NEWS | Middle East | Moving stories: Azar Nafisi". News.bbc.co.uk. 2 January 2004. Retrieved 2017-02-09.
- ^ a b "Reading Lolita in Tehran". American Federation of Teachers. 2014-08-08. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
- ^ "About Azar". Azar Nafisi. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
- ^ Wasserman, Elizabeth (7 May 2003). "The Fiction of Life". The Atlantic. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
- ^ Enright, Michael (December 30, 2018) [2003]. The Sunday Edition – December 30, 2018 (Radio interview). CBC. Event occurs at 1:27:00.
- ^ Tolstoy, Leo; Nafisi, Azar (2010-07-09). Hadji Murad. Translated by Maude, Alymer (1st ed.). Modern Library.
- ^ "My Uncle Napoleon by Iraj Pezeshkzad: 9780812974430 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
- ISBN 9780670026067.
- ^ "The Republic of Imagination". Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2014-11-04.
- ^ "Read Dangerously". HarperCollins. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
- ^ "The Gabarron. 30th Anniversary > Awards > Awards > Awards 2011 > Winners > Thought and Humanities". gabarron.org. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
- ^ "Author Azar Nafisi Receives the 2015 Benjamin Franklin Creativity Laureate Award at Smithsonian Associates Event". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
- ^ "SFS Announces 2018–2019 Centennial Fellows". SFS – School of Foreign Service – Georgetown University. 2018-12-20. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
- ^ "USATODAY.com – 'Lolita in Tehran' lifts a veil on oppression". usatoday30.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
- ^ "Nonfiction Book Review: Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi, Author. Random $23.95 (368p) ISBN 978-0-375-50490-7". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
- ^ "Reading Lolita in Tehran". Kirkus Reviews.
- ^ Atwood, Margaret. "The Book Lover's Tale". Literary Review of Canada. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
- ^ "Things I've Been Silent Abpit". Kirkus Reviews.
- ^ a b "The Republic of Imagination by Azar Nafisi: 9780143127789 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
- ^ Miller, Laura (20 October 2014). "Why this Iranian-born writer fears for America's soul". Salon. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
- ^ "Author Azar Nafisi Interview, Part 1 | Video | Late Night with Seth Meyers | NBC". Archived from the original on 2015-05-29. Retrieved 2014-11-04.
- ^ "Late Night With Seth Meyers". Hulu. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
- ^ "Azar Nafisi views American society through its literature in 'Republic of Imagination'". PBS NewsHour. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
- ^ "Nonfiction Book Review: Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times by Azar Nafisi. Dey Street, $26.99 (240p) ISBN 978-0-06294-736-9". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
- ^ Lueders, Bill (2022-03-02). "A Life Well Read". Progressive.org. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
- ^ Doug Ireland (14 October 2004). "Azar Nafisi replies to Hitchens et. al". Retrieved 15 September 2013.
- S2CID 170912855.
- ^ John Carlos Rowe, "Cultural Politics of the New American Studies", Open Humanities Press, University of Michigan Library, 2012, p.132
- ^ Rowe 2012, 141.
- ^ A Collision of Prose and Politics by Richard Byrne, Chronicle of Higher Education, October 13, 2006.
- ^ "Reading Lolita at Columbia". www.canada.com. Archived from the original on 8 February 2007. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
- ^ Young, Cathy. "Women and Islam". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
- ^ a b Pawn of the Neocons? by Gideon Lewis-Kraus, Slate.com, November 30, 2006 (retrieved on October 21, 2009).
- ^ a b c d Book clubbed by Christopher Shea, The Boston Globe, October 29, 2006 (retrieved on October 21, 2009).
- ^ a b Reading Lolita at Columbia by Robert Fulford, National Post, November 6, 2006 (retrieved on October 21, 2009).
- ^ A Collision of Prose and Politics by Richard Byrne, The Chronicle of Higher Education, October 13, 2006.
- ^ "Ali Banuazizi". Boston College. nd.
- ^ http://depts.washington.edu/complit/people/faculty/papan/ [dead link]
- ^ Reading & Misreading Lolita in Tehran Archived September 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine by Dr. Firoozeh Papan-Matin, IslamOnline, 2007.
- ^ "That Other World: Nabokov and the Puzzle of Exile". Yale University Press.
Bibliography
- Nafisi, Azar. 2010 (2008). Things I've been silent about. Random House Trade Paperbacks. (Originally published 2008)
External links
- Official Website
- Azar Nafisi on The Forum
- Random House author biography
- Samantha Power in conversation with Azar Nafisi at the Wayback Machine (archived April 23, 2009) at LIVE from the New York Public Library, February 21, 2008
- Lust for life by Azar Nafisi, The Guardian, July 1, 2006.
- Azar Nafisi speaks at the National Book Festival in 2004
- Breaking barriers in books[dead link]
- Azar Nafisi speaks on Crossing the Borders: Western Fictions and Iranian Realities
- Nafisi's Dialogue Project
- Azar Nafisi by Robert Birnbaum, Identity Theory, February 5, 2004.
- Sorry, Wrong Chador by Karl Vick, The Washington Post, July 19, 2004; Page C01.
- Transcript of Nafisi's interview with David Brancaccio on PBS's Now
- (in Persian) DW-WORLD.DE on Azar Nafisi
- Nafasi on how the world misperceives Muslim women, in conversation with Big Think.
- Audio: Azar Nafisi in conversation on the BBC World Service discussion show The Forum
- "Native Informer" – Jacobin interview
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- REVIEW : The Republic of Imagination