READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN: A MEMOIR IN BOOKS: THE UNCORRECTED PROOF
by Nafisi, Azar
- Used
- Fine
- Paperback
- Signed
- first
- Condition
- Fine/No Dust Jacket, As Issued.
- Seller
-
CHICAGO, Illinois, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Synopsis
We all have dreams--things we fantasize about doing and generally never get around to. This is the story of Azar Nafisi's dream and of the nightmare that made it come true.For two years before she left Iran in 1997, Nafisi gathered seven young women at her house every Thursday morning to read and discuss forbidden works of Western literature. They were all former students whom she had taught at university. Some came from conservative and religious families, others were progressive and secular; several had spent time in jail. They were shy and uncomfortable at first, unaccustomed to being asked to speak their minds, but soon they began to open up and to speak more freely, not only about the novels they were reading but also about themselves, their dreams and disappointments. Their stories intertwined with those they were reading--Pride and Prejudice, Washington Square, Daisy Miller and Lolita--their Lolita, as they imagined her in Tehran.Nafisi's account flashes back to the early days of the revolution, when she first started teaching at the University of Tehran amid the swirl of protests and demonstrations. In those frenetic days, the students took control of the university, expelled faculty members and purged the curriculum. When a radical Islamist in Nafisi's class questioned her decision to teach The Great Gatsby, which he saw as an immoral work that preached falsehoods of "the Great Satan," she decided to let him put Gatsby on trial and stood as the sole witness for the defense.Azar Nafisi's luminous tale offers a fascinating portrait of the Iran-Iraq war viewed from Tehran and gives us a rare glimpse, from the inside, of women's lives in revolutionary Iran. It is a work of great passion and poetic beauty, written with a startlingly original voice.From the Hardcover edition.
Reviews
If you’ve ever questioned the value of literature--particularly of fiction--to transform and inspire, you’ve only to read this memoir by a talented Iranian woman, a professor of Western literature. Nafisi’s university classrooms during the chaotic years of the Iranian revolution were filled with young people defined by their various “-isms.” They seemed to be more like political battlegrounds than places of learning and discovery. Finally, in 1995, Dr. Nafisi came to the realization that she no longer could function within the strictures imposed by the Islamic Republic, not only the punitive dress requirements for women but also the demands to screen all literature through the prism of Islamic fundamentalism and its moral code. Leaving the halls of academia, she chose from among her students seven women who shared her fondness for Western literature to meet in her home one morning a week to discuss assigned readings. As Nafisi and her “girls” studied their favorite authors--among them Jane Austen, Flaubert, Henry James, and, of course, Nabokov--they also came to better understand the society in which they lived and their own individual hopes and needs. Of particular poignancy was the wrenching decision by the Nafisis and a few of the students to leave their homeland. The many strands of this beautifully written memoir come together flawlessly. The reader comes away with a better understanding of 20th-century Iranian history and several great works of Western literature, along with a detailed portrait of seven unique Iranian women and their remarkable teacher.
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Details
- Seller
- Modern Rare (US)
- Seller's Inventory #
- 11050
- Title
- READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN: A MEMOIR IN BOOKS: THE UNCORRECTED PROOF
- Author
- Nafisi, Azar
- Format/Binding
- Softcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Fine
- Jacket Condition
- No Dust Jacket, As Issued.
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition. First Printing.
- Binding
- Paperback
- Publisher
- Random House
- Place of Publication
- New York City, NY
- Date Published
- 2003
- Pages
- 347
Terms of Sale
Modern Rare
We ship at cost, based on weight, destination, and shipping method. We ship via Standard or Expedited USPS or FedEx in the US and Globally. Payable in $US dollars by Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, personal check, cashiers check, money order, or wire transfer. Returns accepted, with prior notification, within 10 days after shipment, provided the item is in the same condition it was shipped. We make every effort to describe the item as accurately as possible. Shipping costs are non-refundable. All Magazine, DVD/Blu-ray, and audiotape sales are final and non-refundable. Email us at modernrarenow@gmail.com or call us at 312-376-5000.
About the Seller
Modern Rare
About Modern Rare
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Title Page
- A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the...
- Uncorrected Proof
- An uncorrected proof is a printed copy of a book that needs to be reviewed for errors and corrections. They are released prior...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- Crisp
- A term often used to indicate a book's new-like condition. Indicates that the hinges are not loosened. A book described as crisp...