A Memoir of Revolution, Rebellion and Reading: An Exploration of 'Reading Lolita in Tehran'

EDUARDO DE SÁ MENDONÇA: Escrita suave, clara e envolvente. A conjunção dos livros estudados e da vida é envolvente e muito criativa. Excelente trabalho .

Brazil on Apr 05, 2023

SAHELI CHOWDHURY: The media could not be loaded.  The book was not in a good state

India on Oct 07, 2022

Monica C Pinheiro: Esta é a segunda vez que leio este livro excelente e perturbador, da escritora iraniana e professora de Literatura ocidental Azar Nafisi. Minha primeira leitura foi há dezoito anos, pouco depois da sua primeira publicação nos Estados Unidos, onde eu morava na época. O sucesso foi imediato e tive a sorte de assistir a uma palestra dela em Nova York, que muito me marcou.

Além de muito bem escrito, o livro me cativou por conseguir expressar como poucos a revolta e as dificuldades das mulheres iranianas na luta contra a sua colossal perda de direitos após a instauração da República Islâmica do Irã após a queda da monarquia. O que mais me impressionou foi perceber que esta completa reversão histórica, que tão poucos iranianos e observadores internacionais acreditavam ser possível, de repente se impôs na vida de todos os cidadãos com imensa força política, através da ideologia religiosa e manipulação das massas polarizadas. Não há país livre destes perigos, que ameaçam a vida não somente das mulheres, mas de toda a sociedade.
Leitura altamente recomendada tanto para homens como mulheres, para aqueles leitores que ainda se lembram da época do Xá...

Brazil on Apr 24, 2022

Kimaya Mathew: Some books can never be rated especially when we talk about a book like this one. Non-fiction, for me, has always been a boring read and as an assignment for the upcoming course, Azar Nafisi was just a satisfactory read for me.
A one-time read, with some good focal points and relation to the classics of Nabokov, James, Gatsby, Austen and alongside struggle of an Iran, where day in and day out is a constant struggle to survive and live, Nafisi has tried to make synchronisation between the real and the fictional life.

India on Apr 01, 2021

theresa dowd: I chose to read Reading Lolita in Tehran because I am currently in the middle of reading Lolita. I am very happy that I chose to read this book, it is beautifully written and powerful. This book details the authors, Azar Nafisi’s experiences in Iran after the revolution and her move to America. The book focuses on a class she teaches in her home, during the class they read forbidden western classic books including Lolita. This class gave Azar and her students a chance to take a break from he restrictions of the Islamic State, and gives them the freedom to express their individuality and opinions. I would highly recommend this book, especially to those who value individuality, individual freedom, women's empowerment, and those who appreciate he power of fiction. Personally, I plan on rereading this book in the summer after I finish reading Lolita, so that I can better appreciate Reading Lolita in Tehran.

Azar Nafisi's writing style lacked a lot of dialog, but made up for it with lots of descriptive language and powerful comparisons. The dialog that was included was appropriately placed within the memoir. Azar Nafisi is a talented story teller and while you read her book...

United States on May 25, 2016

Ravi Kiran: I happened to read this book back in July 2015. The book left a lasting impression on me. I had since then gifted this to most of my friends who love reading books. The book is a memoir by Azar Nafisi detailing her years after being suspended in the early 1990s from the University for not wearing the veil. She forms a ladies only literary club consisting of her past students. The meetings are held once every week in a clandestine manner to discuss banned works of literature. Soon, they find parallels between the works they discuss and their present situation. As their bond strengthens, they try to use their understanding of fiction to make sense of the constantly changing world that is adversely impacting the lives of women.

This book is a delightful read. You shall find yourself to have changed from the one you were before laying your hands on this one.

India on Apr 27, 2016

Sparkle: I have owned this book since March 2004, when two very good friends brought me back an autographed copy from their attendance at the Author's reading/ signing. I did not read it until my book club selected it last month.

Though it is a little slow to start, I found myself unable to put it down as I reached the last 1/3 of the book. I have read most of the books she discussed and felt like the beginning was a little like reading published papers. But... when she began to talk about her own life and the lives of the women she taught in Tehran is when she had me hooked. I began to understand her need to be true to herself despite ideologies that were forced upon her. I felt inspired by her drive, yet saddened by the repression she felt by being forced to cover (rather than choosing it as modesty and honor for God) and made to censor.

Through my highschool years 1985-88, I had a pen pal from Tehran through my Spanish class. At that time, I had NO IDEA that throughout our exchange of crossword puzzles, post cards, letters, stamps and the funny papers that he was experiencing the very things that Ms. Nafisi describes. We were kids, we only talked about pop culture. Reading...

United States on Jun 18, 2009

mtspace: Reading Lolita in Tehran is structured around the life of the author, an English Literature professor born in Iran, educated in the west and teaching in post-revolutionary Iran. She stands like a maypole at the center of a dance. Dancing around her are the women of her reading group. Further off there are male students, friends and acquaintances, and finally shadowy government functionaries. But these men are not dancers. Some are observers, others play the tune.The strands being woven are thematic ones. As a first guess: Lolita is about the abuse of power. Gatsby, the empty dream. Daisy Miller is about courage and heart. And Pride and Prejudice about using good judgement in social contexts rather than relying on bad rules of engagement. There is no narrative thread, just a group of dancers that weaves back and forth through time.

It is tempting, as a westerner, to read this as a polemic against an 'evil regime' But to do so risks making the same mistake as the revolutionaries. Nafisi, I think, is less interested in the politics per se than in how our lives shape and are shaped by politics. The answers are not easy. Some time after a battle waged by the police against a...

United States on Aug 26, 2005