Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Style
Review: Excellent style of writing,a story that captures your attention and holds it. I am a fan of Non Fiction works, Particularly that of Memoirs-Autobiographies. This book is meaty and hard to put down. Other Non Fiction works that have caught my attention are- Running With Scissors,One Child and Nightmares Echo

Rating:
Summary: A Stunning Example of the Power of Words Over Force
Review: "Reading Lolita in Tehran" is Azar Nafisi's account of several fascinating events that ultimately center on books and the context in which they are read. Ms. Nafisi is a professor of English literature who lived in the United States for many years and obtained her Ph.D. here before returning to her native Iran to teach in the prestigious Tehran University. In this book she recounts her radical student days in America (protesting the Shah's regime), the political upheaval that swept Iran during and after the Islamic Revolution of 1979, her life of intellectual exile within her own country during the Iran/Iraq War, and her simple but highly subversive decision to teach a private women's seminar on forbidden English literature. While this book is very well written and interesting on many levels, more than anything else it provides a fascinating study on the value of literature in a given social and political context.

Following her resignation from her teaching position in Tehran University because of government pressure and intrusion into her life, Ms. Nafisi decided to teach a private English literature seminar to a select group of her former female students. The students came from diverse social, religious and political backgrounds. Some were deeply religious while others lead lives that might be considered "interesting" even by liberal Western standards. Some had been imprisoned by the Iran's ruling regime while others had escaped the tumult of the Islamic Revolution relatively unscathed. One important thing these women had in common was that they were extremely intelligent and well educated. Many had read the works of Barthes and other Western intellectuals for pleasure and probably could easily hold their own in an English or American graduate program. Another was the fact that each of them had known life in Iran before the Islamic Revolution and each had strong personal feelings about living under an oppressive theocratic regime.

What I found most interesting about this book was the new life that "old" texts by Nabokov, Fitzgerald, and others took on within the deeply oppressive context of Revolutionary Iran. When the group read The Great Gatsby, for example, one of the principle themes they explored was how the book's wealthy characters-like most people in power--always broke things and then expected someone else to fix them. If this book was decadent and pro-western as the Iran's ruling clerics claimed, then how did one explain the critical manner in which it portrayed its most privileged characters? Did its author provide an objective analysis of his own civilization? Was this process threatening to Iran's ruling regime?

Similarly, When reading Lolita the group concluded that the novel's villainous character Humbert Humbert fooled himself and attempted to fool his readers by blaming his victim, Lolita (as he called her) for her own rape. The group then drew a parallel between his behavior and that and Iran's revolutionary government, which often blamed the victims for the oppression it meted out to them. Humbert Humbert, in this case, was neither the innocent lover that he makes himself out to be, nor the villain that most discerning readers take him for. Instead, his exploitive and propagandistic behavior made him emblematic of tyranny in general.

Equally as fascinating is the dynamic of Ms. Nafisi's class itself. The students did not always agree with each other and seldom came to neat and tidy conclusions about either the books or the context within which they read them. The students sometimes carried out subtle personal arguments with each other through their conflicting interpretations of the books. And while none of them enjoyed living under Iran's theocratic government they still possessed different points of view about how that experience had come to be and what it meant. Reading Ms. Nafisi's recounting of her seminars is as pleasurable as quietly sitting in a room and listening to a conversation between very intelligent people.

One comes away from this book not only with a new understanding of familiar texts but also with a deep appreciation for the fact that, at least for now, we do not live in a militant theocracy in which librarians and book sellers are forced to secretly inform the ruling regime what their citizens are reading. If for some reason this situation changes, then literature, as Ms. Nafisi demonstrates is an extremely powerful tool of survival and of resistance.

Rating:
Summary: Classical Celebration
Review: <br />Through turmoil, heartbreak and heartache comes the courageous and celebrated life of women. This will be one of the classics that will be handed down through the generations to come. A beautifully written and prolific book for all to read. <br />Other reads are: Nightmares Echo by Katlyn Stewart,A Paper Life by Tatum O'Neil <br />

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Summary: life reflected in literature..........
Review: Author Azar Nafisi's memoir recounts her life in Tehran during a time of upheaval and oppression, especially she feels of the women. She was a professor of Western Literature and as her world comes under attack she seems to actively retreat into a world of classic literature and it's interpretation and application to the conditions in Tehran. When her professorship is terminated she begins a study group in her home, which is where we are introduced to and get to know a bit about the lives of several young women living under these religious/political restrictions imposed upon the society of Iran. While many are placing their lives directly on the line to try and change the face of Tehran, Nafisi plants the seeds of hope and possibility in the minds of her students
in her book group.
The classics that they read make interesting "companion reads" to this novel, and while you may have read them in high school or college, it is never too late to read them again. Some of the titles are LOLITA, THE GREAT GATSBY, WASHINGTON SQUARE and PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. The familiarity of the reader with these works while not necessary, will add a depth of understanding to the intricacies of this memoir.
Nafisi seems to relate nearly every event in her life and the lives of her students as a reflection of some fictional character, which under the circumstance seems to be an unusual coping method.
This memoir is an interesting look at the political/ religious upheaval that engulfed Tehran as told through the eyes and thoughts of a woman whose life revolved around the reading and exploration of literature. While the oppression of women in this society seems to be a major focus of the memoir, the fact that having one segment of a society oppressed does in fact oppress every segment and facet of that society is briefly encountered. While,in many instances, the importance of literature seems to be overshadowed by the oppression and brutality of the ruling regime, Nafisi's focus never seems to waver, which at times feels disturbing and yet at the same time hopeful.

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Summary: A literary tour-de-force
Review: Azar Nafisi's memoir, Reading Lolita in Tehran, is the sort of book you should pick up if you want to assure yourself of how well-read you are, or perhaps to remind yourself that you are not well read at all. In the back of Ms. Nafisi's book is a list of recommended reading, some of which deals with Iran, but much of which is the fiction about which she writes in the book.

Having only read some of the novels about which Ms. Nafisi writes, I don't think I can adequately discuss the literary criticism woven throughout the book. The story of the book club itself is often not the main focus, as Ms. Nafisi gives a crash course in Iranian revolutionary history and delves into her personal life as well as that of the women in her book club. The combination of the three is an intriguing and potent conceit; learning how everyday life in Iran affects these women is compelling and evocative. Intertwined with commentary and comparison of some of the great books of western literature makes it even more so.

It would be had to say that one does not learn one thing, if not many things, from this book. Certainly it inspires you to read some of the books Ms. Nafisi writes about, if only to re-read the book and access a new level of understanding.

Rating:
Summary: Please Read!
Review: Dear Readers,

I have already posted my opinion about this book with the title of " experiences of a Persian girl". Yup, im persian and I was born and raised in Iran, the Iran after revolution.

I strongly disagree with Dr. Nafisi in regards to her opinion or some of her statements about Iran and its situations. I mean come on, I was there and i have seen it for myself for 18 years. At some point she talks about Iranian TV, and here comes my anger! she said that "Around the World in 80 days" was not displayed in iran because one of the characters, the lion, was british and Iranian government didnt like that so they didnt display that cartoon... I LOVED this cartoon and I recall that each year, the Iranian TV showed this cartoon during summer!!! and really really loved it.. or pink panther, TOm & Jerry... and so on. IRanian TV did display many Western cartoons and movies...now why did Dr. Nafisi said a different thing? I wrote a paper about her book and about the stereotypes of iran and iranians. I think when a non-iranian reads this book, they get a different picture of iran and iranian society. I believe that's how some stereotypes originate.

We were allowed to read western literature. A friend of mine loved reading novels. I remember she always spent her money on books. Of course she had to buy a translation. this reveals that the government of iran did allow the publication and distribution of western books.

Also, I recall that we did not HAVE TO wear black robes. I had different colors and styles of robes. it was sorta in fashion. or i didnt have to wear my scarf near my house esp. during summer time riding our bikes or playing football.

Dear readers,

please if you have the same idea about this book or even if you disagree with me and you are willing to discuss this friendly, I will appreciate it if you contact me: [e-mail]. Iwould love to hear you and get more feedback about my paper as well. Thanks.

Rating:
Summary: the power of a book!!
Review: Do you truly believe in the power of a book to change and improve lives? Azar Nafisi did. After resigning from the University of Tehran as a professor (following clashes with the authority over her refusal to wear the veil), Nafisi invited seven of her best students to attend a weekly study of the best literature in the confines of her study. There was one catch: the books they were reading and discussing were banned in Ayotollah's Iran. For two years the girls and their mentor met in secrecy discussing Nabokov, Fitzgerald, Austen and the harshness of their lives.

Reading Lolita in Tehran is as much literary criticism as it is the story of repression of basic rights. It is also the story of one woman's conviction in the power of books and their ability to raise the spirit. The book has is ultimately uplifting, with its quiet subdued humour. As one of the students says, after reading Pride & prejudice, "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a Muslim man, regardless of his fortune, must be in want of a nine-year-old virgin wife."


Rating:
Summary: Excellent Style
Review: Excellent style of writing like other books such as Nightmares Echo and Running With Scissors. A story that captures your attention and holds it. I am a fan of Non Fiction works, Particularly that of Memoirs-Autobiographies. This book is meaty and hard to put down. <br />

Rating:
Summary: Reading Lolita in Tehran
Review: I found that this book symbolizes the typical oppression that women are facing each day in the Middle East. Azar being very intelligent and strong, tried to teach her friends and students that reading other books opens the door to imagination and true towards finding out whom they really are.

I feel that the ideas of helping her friends compare their own living conditions with characters in other books was helpful towards making them strong and realizing that as Muslim women, they have a right in today's age to stand and be equal.


Rating:
Summary: Made me want to reread Lolita, but in America
Review: I found this book to be a highly readable account of a woman's struggle of perserving her identity under the Iranian regime; however, its additional strength was the author's clever comments and literary analysis of some of the Western classics to illustrate the relavance of fiction to reality.

That said, if you have not read or are at least familiar with the works she is describing, you might miss out on a lot of the commentary that is part of her presentation (the only one I have not yet read is Austen's Pride and Prejudice, and I felt that the part of the story where Nafisi is commenting on this work in relationship to her society, I was irritated that I could not follow her analogies as well. However, it made me decide to read Pride and Prejudice - Austen could not have asked for better endorsement!)

I was prepared for the book to deal mainly with a secret female book club that met in the author's apartment; however, only the first and last chapters deal directly with the book club and its members. In between, we get glimpses of her teaching career at a couple of universities in Iran (and if you thought university politics could be bad here, this account gives a fresh look at a whole different bundle of faculty friction).

She also keep a running narrative of the political and military upheavels that take place during the reign of Khomeini - especially the time during the war with Iraq. Student demonstrations that turn violent, the disappearance and murder of officials as well as regular citizens, and the constant fear of bombs and the guilty feelings of relief when realizing that none of your immidiate family has been hit are all just examples of events that the author weaves into her story. Essential to all that takes place is the role of Islam. The author never attacks the religion itself, but quite effectively shows how easily the religion can be manipulated to justify almost any agenda - and especially the hatred against everything "Western". (The ironic part, of course, is that anything villified immediately draws a fascination and secret awe, and Nafisi successfully shows how the subculture of American fascination plays a significant role in young peoples' lives).

Overall an interesting account and an important contribution to the contemporary Middle Eastern literary scene. Other books worth reading in this "genre" is "The Bookseller in Kabul", "West of Kabul, East of New York" and "The Kite Runner".

PS: After reading this book, I came across Nabokov's "Ada" in my favorite thrift store, and I immediately grabbed it eager to read the book the author's husband gave as a first gift to his wife...I am still reading it (it's a heavy and complex work), and I know that if it hadn't been for "Reading Lolita in Tehran", I would have passed by it without much interest...