Category Archives: Iran

Women’s History Month: Reading and Viewing

Posted on March 30, 2015 by

I felt overwhelmed when I thought about what I could write for Women’s History Month. Do I write about how the month became commemorated? About the women that made it (and the other, more shaded side of history) happen? About … Continue reading →

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Culture Update: Corruption Edition

Posted on March 11, 2014 by

I had the notion, months ago, of publishing this post. I had encountered, in a short period of time, one source too many of institutional corruption, American, Venezuelan, Indian, and Iranian. But, as often happens, my own privileged life went on; … Continue reading →

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A Poem a Day: Blazing Persian Devotion

Posted on May 11, 2013 by

Today’s selection is from the Persian poet Sanai. Rumi acknowledged Sanai and Attar as his two primary inspirations, saying, “Attar is the soul and Sanai its two eyes, I came after Sanai and Attar.” (1) This poem is a ghazal, … Continue reading →

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A Poem a Day: Forugh Farrokhzad

Posted on May 9, 2013 by

I first learned of Iranian poet Forugh Farrokhzad from the enthusiastic endorsement of Azar Nafisi, in Reading Lolita in Tehran. It took some searching, but I finally saw a copy of a book of her poetry at the Harvard Coop. … Continue reading →

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A Poem a Day: Encounters with Persian Poetry

Posted on April 23, 2013 by

The first Persian poet I ever read was Farid ud-Din Attar. Today’s selection is an extract from his wonderful work, The Conference of the Birds, an epic tale about the search for the mythical Simorgh, the one holy bird who … Continue reading →

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Iran Series: Marjane Satrapi, Hilarious Cartoonist

Posted on April 26, 2012 by

Yesterday I attended a Ruth and Carl J. Shapiro lecture at the Boston MFA, where I got to see one of my favorite artists, Marjane Satrapi, speak and wisecrack about her life and the cultural multiplicity of human experience. If … Continue reading →

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The Iran Series: A Separation (2011)

Posted on March 3, 2012 by

I was intrigued by this new release of Iranian cinema early this year, and after its Oscar win for Best Foreign Film, it couldn’t be long before I viewed A Separation (2011). The film kicks off with you in the … Continue reading →

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