<div>A moving account of life as a political prisoner in post-revolutionary Iran from the acclaimed Iranian author of Women Without Men. Shahrnush Parsipur was a successful writer and television producer in her native Iran until the Revolution of 1979. Soon after seizing control, the Islamist government began detaining its citizens&mdash;and Parsipur found herself incarcerated without charges. Kissing the Sword captures the surreal experience of serving time as a political prisoner and witnessing the systematic elimination of opposition to fundamentalist power. It is a harrowing narrative filled with both horror and humor: nights blasted by machine gun fire as detainees are summarily executed, days spent debating prison officials on whether the Quran demands that women be covered. Parsipur, one of modern Iran&rsquo;s great literary voices, mines her painful life experiences to deliver an urgent call for the most basic of human rights: the freedom of expression. &ldquo;Parsipur makes a stylishly original contribution to modern feminist literature.&rdquo; &mdash;Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis &ldquo;Stands as a powerful testament to not only the devastations of an era, but to the integrity and courage of an extraordinary woman.&rdquo; &mdash;Kirkus Reviews &ldquo;Parsipur&rsquo;s memoir is a powerful tale of a writer&rsquo;s struggle to survive the worst cases of atrocities and injustice with grace and compassion. A terribly dark but truly illuminating narrative; Parsipur forces the reader to question human nature and resilience.&rdquo; &mdash;Shirin Neshat, artist</div>

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Kissing the Sword

<div>An Iranian woman forges her own path through life in this &ldquo;stylishly original contribution to modern feminist literature&rdquo; (Publishers Weekly). After her father&rsquo;s death, fourteen-year-old Touba takes her family&rsquo;s financial security into her own hands by proposing to a fifty-two-year-old relative. But, intimidated by her outspoken nature, Touba&rsquo;s husband soon divorces her. When she marries again, it is to a prince with whom she experiences tenderness and physical passion and bears four children&mdash;but their relationship sours when he proves unfaithful. Touba is granted a divorce, and as her unconventional life continues, she becomes the matriarch of an ever-changing household of family members and refugees . . . Hailed as &ldquo;one of the unsurpassed masterpieces of modern Persian literature&rdquo; (Iranian.com), Touba and the Meaning of Night explores the ongoing tensions between rationalism and mysticism, tradition and modernity, male dominance and female will&mdash;all from a distinctly Iranian viewpoint. Defying both Western stereotypes of Iranian women and expectations of literary form, this beautiful novel reflects the unique voice of its author as well as an important tradition in Persian women&rsquo;s writing. &ldquo;Parsipur&rsquo;s novel carries the reader on a mystical and emotional odyssey spanning eight decades of Iranian cultural, political, and religious history . . . rewarding and enlightening.&rdquo; &mdash;Booklist &ldquo;A sweeping chronicle of modern Iranian history and a study of the plight of twentieth-century Iranian women . . . [displaying] deft utilization of magic realism and Persian myths . . . rich and well-crafted.&rdquo; &mdash;Library Journal</div>

Touba and the Meaning of Night

<div>From an outspoken Iranian author comes a &ldquo;charming, powerful novella&rdquo; that is banned in Iran for its depiction of female freedom (Publishers Weekly). &ldquo;Parsipur is a courageous, talented woman, and above all, a great writer.&rdquo; &mdash;Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis This modern literary masterpiece follows the interwoven destinies of five women&mdash;including a wealthy middle-aged housewife, a prostitute, and a schoolteacher&mdash;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&rsquo;s 1989 publication, Parsipur was arrested and jailed for her frank and defiant portrayal of women&rsquo;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. &ldquo;Using the techniques of both the fabulist and the polemicist, Parsipur continues her protest against traditional Persian gender relations in this charming, powerful novella.&rdquo; &mdash;Publishers Weekly</div>

Shahrnush Parsipur
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Books By Shahrnush Parsipur (3 Books)

Kissing the Sword

Touba and the Meaning of Night

Women Without Men

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Shahrnush ParsipurFollow this author

Books By Shahrnush Parsipur (3 Books)

Kissing the Sword

Touba and the Meaning of Night

Women Without Men

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More from

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© 2024 OPEN ROAD INTEGRATED MEDIA

Shahrnush Parsipur
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