Iranian literature
All topics-
Book review: Mehrnousch Zaeri-Esfahani's "33 Arches and a Teahouse"
A million butterflies in my head
In her book for young adults "33 Bogen und ein Teehaus" [33 Arches and a Teahouse], Mehrnousch Zaeri-Esfahani tells the story of her life from ages five to eleven: the beauty of her native city of Isfahan, her happy family life, the torture of living under dictatorship in Iran, and her family's flight to Germany. It is a book of poetic power without a trace of sentimentality. By Thomas Linden
-
Interview with the Iranian writer Abbas Maroufi
″Self-censorship is the worst″
Abbas Maroufi, born in Tehran in 1957, was one of Iran's most respected writers when he was sentenced to prison and a flogging for 'offending the fundamental principles of Islam'. It was only thanks to the intervention of the German PEN Center and the intercession of Gunter Grass that he was able to leave Iran in 1996. He has lived in Germany ever since. Interview by Volker Kaminski
-
Ramita Navai: ″City of lies. Love, sex, death and the search for truth in Tehran″
Where nothing is allowed, yet anything is possible
Survival in Tehran is a matter of lying and bending the rules. In the Iranian theocracy, real life is conducted in secret. Nadja Schluter reports on what else we can learn from the wonderful book on Iran, "City of Lies"
-
Album review: Trygve Seim′s ″Rumi Songs″
Musical wanderlust
Couching the songs of Rumi in free-form jazz is doubtless a daring undertaking. Yet, listen with an open mind and heart, says Richard Marcus, and you will find this album to be both thought-provoking and emotionally fulfilling
-
The filming of Rumi
Everybody's darling
A Hollywood film project and a joint attempt by Iran and Turkey to register the principal works of the poet Rumi with the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list have recently caused political turmoil, above all, in Afghanistan. By Waslat Hasrat-Nazimi
-
Interview with the Iranian author Fariba Vafi
"Cliches have no place in writing″
Fariba Vafi is one of Iran′s most popular contemporary women writers. She has already published many short stories and novels to critical acclaim. In interview with Maryam Aras she looks back over her own life and the situation of women in Iran following the Islamic Revolution
-
PEN Centre honours Iranian-German publisher Madjid Mohit
Taking ″aerial root″
Madjid Mohit was one of those publishers and literary figures to flee Iran and its strict policy of censorship at the beginning of the nineties. These days he sells literature with ″aerial roots″ in Bremen. He was recently awarded the Hermann Kesten Prize by Germany′s PEN Centre for his untiring work promoting the work of authors in exile. By Sarah Judith Hofmann
-
Obituary: Mohammad-Ali Sepanlou
A master of contemporary Iranian letters
Mohammad-Ali Sepanlou was known in his homeland as a critical thinker and "the poet of Teheran". The eminent Iranian poet and literary critic died in Teheran in May at the age of 75. Mitra Khalatbari spoke to Mahmoud Falaki about Sepanlou's life's work
-
Book review: "I'm Probably Lost" by Sara Salar
Silent rebellion
Sara Salar's novel was published in Tehran in 2009. It was reprinted four times that year and won several literary awards. However, after 16,000 copies had been sold, the book was banned by the censor. Volker Kaminski read the German translation
-
Book review: Ramin Jahanbegloo's "Time Will Say Nothing"
"The last stop before hell"
In May 2006, the leading Iranian intellectual and philosopher Ramin Jahanbegloo was arrested at Tehran Airport and accused of spying and trying to undermine the government in Iran. Following an international campaign, he was released in August of the same year. After his release, he wrote a book about his experiences. By Fabrizio Petri
-
Nowruz: one of the world's oldest festivals
"My paleness is yours, your colour is mine!"
The Iranian New Year celebration "Nowruz" has been a feature of Persian culture for more than 2,500 years. The roots of this festival lie in the ancient Persian religion of Zoroastrianism. Today, more than 300 million people all over the world celebrate Nowruz. Shohreh Karimian looks back at the history of this new year celebration and explains some of its customs
-
Amir Hassan Cheheltan's ''Tehran, Skyless City''
Reflecting the Dark Side of Iran's Capital
In "Tehran, Skyless City", Amir Hassan Cheheltan describes the journey through life of an underdog who arrives in Tehran as an uprooted, orphaned inmate of a home and with a high degree of criminal energy, rises through the ranks to become the director of a torture prison. A review by Volker Kaminski