Afsaneh: Short Stories by Iranian Women (Short Stories by Women from Around the World)

Whether negotiating often-treacherous paths through political and religious upheavals or threading their way through dreams and fantasies, the characters in these stories are vivid and compelling enough to challenge and surprise anyone unfamiliar with Iranian life and literature. From the oppressive atmosphere before the Islamic Revolution of 1979 in Simin Daneshvar's Whom Shall I Greet? to Shahrnoosh Parsipour's mesmerising story of women who blur distinctions between reality and dreams in Crystal Pendants, these tales brim with the inner lives, attitudes and outlooks of women in Iran. 'There is great talent in these stories as well as great courage.' -- Elaine Showalter, Literary Review From The Oppressive Atmosphere Before The Islamic Revolution Of 1979 In Simin Daneshvar's Whom Shall I Greet? To Shahrnoosh Parsipour's Mesmerising Story Of Women Who Blur Distinctions Between Reality And Dreams In Crystal Pendants, These Tales Brim With The Inner Lives, Attitudes And Outlooks Of Women In Iran.--jacket. Foreword: A Legacy Of Survival -- To Whom Shall I Say Hello? / Simin Daneshvar -- The Shemiran Bus / Goli Taraqqi -- Khorramshahr-tehran / Mahsid Amirshahy -- A House In Heaven / Goli Taraqqi -- Garden Of Sorrow / Mihan Bahrami -- Crystal Pendants / Shahrnoosh Parsipour -- O, Baba! O, Baba! / Behjat Malek-kiani -- Midnight Drum / Fereshteh Molavi -- The Stranger / Mansoureh Sharifzadeh -- The Blue Ones / Moniru Ravanipour -- Mahdokht / Shahrnoosh Parsipour -- Mana, Kind Mana / Moniru Ravanipour -- Grandmother / Zohreh Hatami -- The Little Secret / Farkhondeh Aqaei -- The Lost Time / Fereshteh Sari -- My Mother Behind The Glass / Fariba Vafi -- Like A Well / Noushin Salari -- Dahlia / Roya Shapourian -- Eclipse / Qodsi Qazi-nour -- The Stain / Zoya Pirzad. Edited By Kaveh Basmenji. Includes Bibliographical References. Translated From The Persian. Whether negotiating often-treacherous paths through political and religious upheavals or threading their way through dreams and fantasies, the characters in these stories are vivid and compelling enough to challenge and surprise anyone unfamiliar with Iranian life and literature. From the oppressive atmosphere before the Islamic Revolution of 1979 in Simin Daneshvars Whom Shall I Greet ? to Shahrnoosh Parsipours mesmerising story of women who blur distinctions between reality and dreams in Crystal Pendants , these tales brim with the inner lives, attitudes and outlooks of women in Iran. Kaveh Basmenji was born in Tehran in 1961 and started work as a journalist at the age of sixteen. He has translated several Western literary works into Persian, and has worked for Reuters and the Middle East Times . His publications include Tehran Blues: Youth Culture in Iran (Saqi) and several collections of essays and poems. He lives in Prague. From the oppressive atmosphere before the Islamic Revolution of 1979 in Simin Daneshvar's "Whom Shall I Greet?" to Shahrnoosh Parsipour's story of women who blur distinctions between reality and dreams in Crystal Pendants, these tales present the inner lives, attitudes and outlooks of women in Iran.