The Literature of the Iranian Diaspora: Meaning and Identity since the Islamic Revolution

282 Pages·2015·4.167 MB·English

by  Sanaz Fotouhi

Sanaz Fotouhi was born in Iran and grew up and was educated in
Japan,America,HongKongandAustralia.SheholdsaPhDinEnglish
LiteraturefromtheUniversityofNewSouthWales.Shecurrentlylives
in Australia.

THE LITERATURE
OF THE IRANIAN
DIASPORA
Meaning and Identity since the
Islamic Revolution
S F
ANAZ OTOUHI
Newpaperbackeditionpublishedin2015byI.B.Tauris&CoLtd
London•NewYork
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Dedicated to all the Iranian Writers in Diaspora:
Past, Present and Future

CONTENTS
List of Illustrations viii
Acknowledgements ix
Introduction – Essence of Desire for a Better World 1
1. History – ‘Remembering and Narrating the Past’ 20
2. Sufi Poetry – ‘Universal and Profound’ 57
3. The Memoir – ‘Double-Edged’ Narratives 93
4. Mothers and Daughters – Writing ‘Beyond the
Homeland’ 141
5. Iranian Masculinities – ‘Hypervisibility/Invisibility’ 175
Conclusion – The ‘Not-Yet’ Future of Iranian Writing 217
Appendix 224
Notes 236
Bibliography 254
Index 264
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Figure 3.1. A collage of the covers of some of the memoirs
by diasporic Iranian writers in English. 123
Figure 3.2. A collage of the covers of some of the memoirs
by diasporic Iranian writers in English. 125
Figure 3.3. Cover image for Azar Nafisi’s Reading Lolita
in Tehran: A Memoir in Books (2004). 127
Figure 3.4. Cover image for Reza Kahlili’s ATime to Betray:
The Astonishing Double Life of a CIA Agent inside
the Revolutionary Guards of Iran (2010). 134
Figure 3.5. Cover image for Fatemeh Keshavarz’s Jasmine
and Stars: Reading More than Lolita in Tehran (2007). 138
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The idea for this book has been in the making for the last ten years.
While the idea and vision were conceived during my days as an
undergraduate student at the University of Hong Kong, the final
product, after being carried to Australia, Iran and Afghanistan, was
finallyborninHongKong,whereIamsubmittingthismanuscript.
In this process, I have been fortunate enough to be assisted,
sometimesinmysteriousways,byforcesandpeoplewhoconspiredto
eventuallymakethishappen.Ioweahugethankyoutoallthosewho
assisted me.
Firstofall,Icannotdenytheforcesoftheuniverse,thosebeyond
my understanding, which guided me and gave me hope when I was
ready to give up.
Then, I need to thank my family for putting up with me in the
process of the PhD that turned out eventually to be this book.
Especially,mypartnerinlife,AminPalangi,whoputupwithallthe
upsanddowns,andsupportedmeinthevariousstagesofthisproject.
Andmyparents,especiallymydad,whosespiritualguidancehasbeen
the compass that keeps me on the right path.
In the making of this book, I owe a thank you to Professor
BillAshcroft,whosawthepotentialwhenIwasreadytogiveup,and
DrMichelleLangfordwhoassistedme,sohugely,inseeingtheideas
throughandarticulatingthem.Withoutthemthisbookwouldnever
have manifested to be what it is today.