About this item
Highlights
- From an outspoken Iranian author comes a "charming, powerful novella" that is banned in Iran for its depiction of female freedom (Publishers Weekly).
- About the Author: Born in Iran in 1946, Shahrnush Parsipur began her career as a fiction writer and producer at Iranian National Television and Radio.
- 136 Pages
- Fiction + Literature Genres, Literary
Description
About the Book
A new translation of this classic work: "Parsipur is a courageous, talented woman and...a great writer." --Marjane SatrapiBook Synopsis
From an outspoken Iranian author comes a "charming, powerful novella" that is banned in Iran for its depiction of female freedom (Publishers Weekly).
"Parsipur is a courageous, talented woman, and above all, a great writer." --Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis This modern literary masterpiece follows the interwoven destinies of five women--including a wealthy middle-aged housewife, a prostitute, and a schoolteacher--as they arrive by different paths to live together in an abundant garden on the outskirts of Tehran. Drawing on elements of Islamic mysticism and recent Iranian history, this unforgettable novel depicts women escaping the narrow confines of family and society, and imagines their future living in a world without men. Reminiscent of a wry fable, Women Without Men creates an evocative and powerfully drawn allegory of life in contemporary Iran. Shortly after the novel's 1989 publication, Parsipur was arrested and jailed for her frank and defiant portrayal of women's sexuality. Banned in Iran, this national bestseller was eventually translated into several languages, giving new readers access to the witty and subversive work of a brilliant Persian writer.Review Quotes
"Parsipur is a courageous, talented woman, and above all, a great writer." --Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis
"Using the techniques of both the fabulist and the polemicist, Parsipur continues her protest against traditional Persian gender relations in this charming, powerful novella." --Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Born in Iran in 1946, Shahrnush Parsipur began her career as a fiction writer and producer at Iranian National Television and Radio. She was imprisoned for nearly five years by the Islamist government without being formally charged. Shortly after her release, she published Women Without Men and was arrested and jailed again, this time for her frank and defiant portrayal of women's sexuality. While still banned in Iran, the novel became an underground bestseller there, and has been translated into many languages around the world. She is also the author of Touba and the Meaning of Night and Kissing the Sword, among many other books, and now lives in exile in Northern California.