Average customer rating:
- The freedom to read, think and talk about Literature
- Revenge on the Blind Censor
- B-O-R-I-N-G
- Life and Literature in Iran
- Rambling and boring
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Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books
Azar Nafisi
Manufacturer: Random House Trade Paperbacks
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ASIN: 081297106X
Release Date: 2003-12-30 |
Amazon.com
An inspired blend of memoir and literary criticism, Reading Lolita in Tehran is a moving testament to the power of art and its ability to change and improve people's lives. In 1995, after resigning from her job as a professor at a university in Tehran due to repressive policies, Azar Nafisi invited seven of her best female students to attend a weekly study of great Western literature in her home. Since the books they read were officially banned by the government, the women were forced to meet in secret, often sharing photocopied pages of the illegal novels. For two years they met to talk, share, and "shed their mandatory veils and robes and burst into color." Though most of the women were shy and intimidated at first, they soon became emboldened by the forum and used the meetings as a springboard for debating the social, cultural, and political realities of living under strict Islamic rule. They discussed their harassment at the hands of "morality guards," the daily indignities of living under the Ayatollah Khomeini's regime, the effects of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, love, marriage, and life in general, giving readers a rare inside look at revolutionary Iran. The books were always the primary focus, however, and they became "essential to our lives: they were not a luxury but a necessity," she writes.
Threaded into the memoir are trenchant discussions of the work of Vladimir Nabokov, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jane Austen, and other authors who provided the women with examples of those who successfully asserted their autonomy despite great odds. The great works encouraged them to strike out against authoritarianism and repression in their own ways, both large and small: "There, in that living room, we rediscovered that we were also living, breathing human beings; and no matter how repressive the state became, no matter how intimidated and frightened we were, like Lolita we tried to escape and to create our own little pockets of freedom," she writes. In short, the art helped them to survive. --Shawn Carkonen
Book Description
Every Thursday morning for two years in the Islamic Republic of Iran, a bold and inspired teacher named Azar Nafisi secretly gathered seven of her most committed female students to read forbidden Western classics. As Islamic morality squads staged arbitrary raids in Tehran, fundamentalists seized hold of the universities, and a blind censor stifled artistic expression, the girls in Azar Nafisi’s living room risked removing their veils and immersed themselves in the worlds of Jane Austen, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Henry James, and Vladimir Nabokov. In this extraordinary memoir, their stories become intertwined with the ones they are reading. Reading Lolita in Tehran is a remarkable exploration of resilience in the face of tyranny and a celebration of the liberating power of literature.
Customer Reviews:
The freedom to read, think and talk about Literature .......2007-10-15
As Nafisi says , people tend to take for granted the freedoms they have, and only appreciate them when they have been denied them. This is a book about appreciating the freedom to read , think about, and discuss Literature. It is also a book about how Literature and Life may intermingle with and influence each other. It is also a book about a courageous teacher who shows not only a real love of literature but a genuine concern for the lives of the seven students she gathers in her apartment to teach Literature to in Tehran. She does this under the regime of the Ayatollahs and the action is taken in defiance of the uniformity of mind and culture, the totalitarian spirit they impose upon Iran.
The group reads Austen, Henry James, Scott Fitzgerald, Saul Bellow and most importantly Nabakov's 'Lolita'. They in the course of this symbolically escape as Lolita from her imprisoning Humbert Humbert, the tyrannical controlling Tehran regime.
Nafisi is not only an intelligent and skilled writer. She is also clearly a very warm and considerate human being , and a teacher of the value of freedom.
An inspiring work of art.
Revenge on the Blind Censor.......2007-10-07
If you could see into Dr. Nafisi's living room - you would see seven young women - her most committed students of literature, sitting in on their teacher's study class held in the privacy of her home- It is the time of the Islamic Revolution in Iran - and they are reading forbidden works of literature including Lolita.
Each reader will interpret this book in their own way according to what they capture from the selected works of literature that the author chose to study with her students - and how they compare to their own reality.
There are four sections in the book: Lolita, Gatsby, James, Austen. The author takes you into the heart of these books exposing the parallels of fiction to reality, and in many cases the reality of their own world.
The study class becomes not only an act of defiance but also an escape from reality. Her students, intellectually curious and enthusiastic, drink up every sentence and ponder on its greater implication and meaning. The subtleties of each story are drawn out and unraveled - analyzed and held up as if a reflection of their own predicaments.
"Reading Lolita in Tehran" is one of those books that will take the reader on their own journey into the lives of people half a world away when their country experienced tumultuous and frightening times. Through the recounted reading of selected literature - and the author's memoirs, you the reader are captured in the emotions of those who lived through it and feelings that encompasses each of her students.
Many reviewers here have attached the meaning of the books Nafisi discusses directly with the events that happened in Iran during its revolution - but it much more than that. The book is not just a critique of the Islamic Revolution (mostly under Khomeini ) but rather it is a condemnation of all ideologies, past - present and future, that would preach in black and white absolutes while it adherents abandon any critical thinking thought process.
For just as it is in the fictional works this book passes through, self deception comes in many forms and from many places, and usually from within oneself. But more than anything else it is through these readings that Nafisi manages to capture the nexus of their own dreams and reality.
B-O-R-I-N-G.......2007-10-07
I'm sorry to have to title my review as such. I wanted to read this book for quite some time. I had expected to read about the struggles of educated Iranian women in an oppressive regime. Instead I was subjected to the pompous ramblings of an English professor. I don't mean this to sound like an insult, but she writes like an English professor - trying to sound educated but not actually relaying a good story.
I hate to not complete a book, but at page 42 I just cut my losses.
Life and Literature in Iran.......2007-09-30
For two years, Azar Nafisi, an Iranian professor, gathered a group of young women into her home every Thursday morning to discuss literature. This circular memoir begins by talking about these weekly meetings, then takes the reader into poignant fragments about Nafisi's life in Iran and how things became the way they are. Throughout the book, learning and discussion occurs through novels such as Lolita and Pride and Prejudice.
I found the middle sections a little monotonous. The first and fourth sections were my favorites, because they focused on the girls' group that Professor Nafisi led. I would recommend this book if you love literature and writing and English... or if you want to learn more about the nuances of Islamic life in Iran.
Rambling and boring.......2007-09-21
First, I must confess: I didn't finish the book. It contains a lot of disjointed literary criticism in additon to descriptions of the lives of the author and her women students in 1990's Iran. I found it boring.
Product Description
Brand new. Never read. Excellent condition.
Customer Reviews:
A gloriously subersive history.......2006-09-02
"Reading Lolita in Tehran" (RLT) is a Persian variation on "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich." Both are about surviving cruel, arbitrary tyrants.
There was a brilliant essay on RLT in the July 19, 2004 "Washington Post" entitled "Sorry, Wrong Chador." At the time, Nafisi's book had not even been translated into Persian, but Iranians still had opinions about it:
"The problem, several Iranians said in interviews, is that Nafisi left Tehran seven years ago. Her highly personal account of 18 years living under the mullahs is as absorbing a history as might be found of this place in that time. But it ends precisely at what most people here call the dawn of a new era in Iran, the 1997 landslide election of Mohammad Khatami as president."
Some may believe it dated, but "Reading Lolita in Tehran," just like Solzhenitsyn's classic, is actually timeless. Nafisi's mullahs may be history, just as Stalin's labor camps are now history, but somewhere in the world people are still unjustly imprisoned. Somewhere in the world women are still treated as non-citizens.
Iran itself is not yet a paradise for women. The Iranian Nobel peace prize winner, Shirin Ebadi has recently received death threats for her 'un-Islamic' behavior--she is the cofounder of the Tehran-based Center of Human Rights Defenders, which was banned by the Interior Ministry. Iranian women are still fighting for free access to public places such as universities and coffee shops. The police periodically campaign against 'un-Islamic' dress.
As far as I know, it is still legal to marry a nine-year-old girl in Iran, a practice Nafisi fiercely condemns--and this brings us back to "Lolita" and why Nabokov's book was so popular with Nafisi's students.
My own impression of "Lolita" was 'silly nymphet with heart-shaped sunglasses seduces helpless adult male'. Yukk! I had never actually read it or seen the movie.
Nafisi points out that my synopsis was completely wrong. It should have read, 'powerful adult male kills young girl's mother and takes complete control of his stepdaughter, even to the point of renaming her (Lolita's real name was 'Dolores'.) He forces her to conform to his most intimate fantasies, and if he is in some way disappointed, he blames and punishes her.
Humbert Humbert reminds Nafisi's students of various males who had abused them, including the mullahs who were then in power. One student was sent to prison because a male caught a glimpse of her neck and found it highly erotic. There are some very sad stories in this book about the abuse of women and the stunting of human relationships, all in the name of religion and power.
But RLT also pays tribute to the vitality and teaching power of Western and Persian literature. I had never realized how gloriously subversive Jane Austin's novels were until I read Nafasi. Tyrants should never rest easy on their thrones if their subjects can read Austen, Nabokov, Henry James, or even Mark Twain. This book really opened my eyes as to why fiction should be read. It can be even more dangerous than books about making bombs.
Download Description
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.
Average customer rating:
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Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books.(Book Review): An article from: Christianity and Literature
Darlene E. Erickson
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
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ASIN: B000E3J0Y0
Release Date: 2006-01-03 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Christianity and Literature, published by Thomson Gale on September 22, 2005. The length of the article is 2458 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books.(Book Review)
Author: Darlene E. Erickson
Publication:
Christianity and Literature (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 22, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 55
Issue: 1
Page: 144(5)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Reviewer's Bookwatch, published by Midwest Book Review on December 1, 2004. The length of the article is 661 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Reading Lolita in Tehran: a Memoir in Books.(Book Review)
Author: Coletta Ollerer
Publication:
Reviewer's Bookwatch (Newsletter)
Date: December 1, 2004
Publisher: Midwest Book Review
Page: NA
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
FROM THE EUROPEAN THEATER TO PEARL HARBOR THE FULL STORY OF THE BEST AMERICAN FIGHTER PLANE OF WORLD WAR II, AND THE MEN WHO FLEW IT
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is known today as a fighter airplane, but in fact it was never intended to combat other fighters, nor was it created as a fighter. It was designed to intercept and destroy enemy bombers. Simply put, it was a flying anti-aircraft weapon-not a combat plane. But, from the first test flights at Lockheed in 1937, the plane that was to become the P-38 made it clear that it truly was a new generation of fighter. And it demanded a new kind of pilot-one who could handle the kind of firepower and speed that foreshadowed the modern jet fighter. Here is the story of pilot and plane in development and in combat, as they swept the skies of Europe, North Africa, and the Pacific. A magnificent story of one of the finest weapons to be applied in World War II, told by Martin Caiden and the men who flew the "Fork-Tailed Devils.
Customer Reviews:
Captivating Chronicle of a Warbird.......2002-11-02
Having read a number of Mr. Caidin's other works (Samurai!, Zero!, B-17 Flying Forts), I picked this book up expecting similar quality and detail, and was not disappointed in the least. Whereas Thunderbolt and Samurai focus on the exploits of individual pilots, with the aircraft information as a backdrop, much like the B-17 in Flying Forts, the P-38 is the main protagnoist in this story. The pilots and their missions enable the telling of this tale, but the P-38 itself truly comes to life.
I have read the book three times in the past six months, and will likely begin reading #4 very shortly.
Thank you Mr. Caidin.
Technical and Enjoyable.......2002-05-24
This book has it all and if you can work through some slow spots you will see it has both a enjoyable histroy view point for the novice reader, a great war story aspect for the WWII junkie, and a techincal stand point for the aviation lover. A good read but maybe a lack of writing experience from the author shows through. Overall very enjoyable and different from your usual Stephen Ambrose-type work.
A Definative Work on the P-38.......2000-05-11
This book very well written with documentation and a large number of pilot testimonials. It goes into great detail about the enception, development, and attributes about the most under-rated fighter of the Second World War. Mr. Caiden, despite his obvious feelings for the airplane, illustrates the strengths and weaknesses of this amazing fighter in both an optomistic, and objective light. This book is a must read for anyone who would like to claim to know anything about the Air war in WWII.
Exciting overall examination of the P-38 and her pilots........1998-03-13
A very exciting, well-researched overview of what was arguably the finest fighter of WWII. Caidin interviewed pilots and others close to the development of the P-38, and put together an exhaustive history, replete with technical specifications, "tall tales", painful shortcomings, and historical color. A must-read for anyone enamored with the P-38, and a good read for airplane buffs and war history fans.
Average customer rating:
- MAJESTIC PLANE
- Outstanding read.
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Fork-Tailed Devil: P-38
Martin Caidin
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: 0345283015
Release Date: 1979-03-12 |
Customer Reviews:
MAJESTIC PLANE.......2007-10-16
Martin Caidin (1927-1997) was a qualified pilot who loved aeronautics and wrote nearly 50 books, many about history and airplanes.
This book from Ballantine War books tells "for the first time" a good story, "the incredible true story of the fifnest fighting machine of WWII-and the brave Americans who flew it." With Martin Caidin's knowledge, experience, and skill plus the use of 32 pages of photographs the reader can get quite alot of information concering the P-38 and its pilots.
In 1961 Caidin was one of probably the last to ever fly in a B-17 formation across the Atlantic from the U.S. to Britain. He also flew in the movie, The War Lover. He also was involved with the Luftwaffe Junkers 52 number 5489 restoration which after his death was sold to Lufthansa, and the plane still flies today on VIP missions. Caidin was recognized as not only an author but an authority as well. Books such as this one and another I have in my war library, BLACK THURSDAY, give enjoyment and understanding to anyone interested in air warfare.
The P-38 was a brand new type of aircraft and the men who flew them were of a different breed, too. This is the plane and its men who "swept the skies over Europe, Africa, and the Pacific.
Semper Fi.
Outstanding read........2000-06-30
This book includes details of the different models of this great airplane and many tales of US service men in World War II. A must read for warbird lovers.
Average customer rating:
- A great coffee table picture book, albeit paperback.
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Thunderbolt and Lightning: P-47 and P-38 The Jug and the Fork-Tailed Devil of the USAAF (New Colour Series)
Michael O'Leary
Manufacturer: Osprey Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1855325195
Release Date: 1996-03-15 |
Book Description
The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt and Lockheed P-38 Lightning were vastly different designs, but both these aircraft served with distinction in the fighter escort and fighter-bomber role across Europe and the Pacific. The mighty Thunderbolt was easily the heaviest single-engined fighter to see operational service in World War II, attracting the nickname `Juggernaut' (soon abbreviated to `Jug') by its pilots. The P-38 offered twin-engine security and packed a devastating punch with its closely grouped combination of cannon and machine guns. Michael O'Leary's magnificent air-to-air studies of the surviving airworthy aircraft.
Customer Reviews:
A great coffee table picture book, albeit paperback........1999-09-22
Its difficult to rate a book like this. If you're looking for a great large picture format book with a few specs and some short stories, then it gets a 4 rating... its paperback, 5 if it were hard cover. However, if you compare it to others with volumes of text and vaste details then I'd rate it a 2. Surely, a warm and fuzzy photo-book. One final note - it is refreshing to find a book combining the first two key Allied fighters capable of projecting air power deep into Fortress Europe. With their brothers, the British Spirfire and Huricane on defense for England, these four aeroplanes held and then pushed back the full might of German air power. A good book.
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