4 Responses to “Welcome!”

1. selia Says:
   September 2nd, 2007 at 8:24 am

   Dear Mrs Nafisi,
   I am half through book “Reading Lolita in T.” and I can’t stop reading it. I find it extremely interesting, although connected to a cruel and unbearable situation. Excuse my English but this is not my mothertongue. The question the book raises about what a “democratic” book should contain is of great value in every country of the world. I am teaching Enlgish literature in a small high school in my country and I think I will propose some paragraphs to my students.
   Selia

2. hadasrom Says:
   September 25th, 2007 at 8:11 am

   Dear Ms. Nafisi,
   I live in Israel, My mother tongue is Hebrew, I’ve never been in the U.S. and, obviously, not in Iran. And yet - while reading your book I can share and feel everything you describe. I’m just now in the frst third of the book and I’m slowing down the pace since I do not want to finish the book yet. Thank you for uncover the veil for us.

   I can promise you one thing - After reading your book, I’m going to read Lolita by Nabokov for the second time as it occurs to me that I really had no relevant background to read and enjoy it properly.

   A book which I’ve read recently and I highly recommend about is ”Incredibly close and extremely loud” by Jonathan Safran Foer - a book about the most sensitive 9 years boy old I’ve ever met. I do’nt know why, but I think that in a sense it is connected to your book (Maybe because it’s a book about America after 9/11? I’m not sure). If you read it I’ll be glad to know your impressions about this book.

   yours,
   Hadas

3. Graziella46 Says:
   November 29th, 2007 at 10:16 am

   Dear Ms. Nafisi,
   I’ve just finished your book “Reading Lolita in Tehran” and I really loved it, but I have a question to ask you: you seem to appreciate, as I do, Henry James and his work but, in your book, you never mention “Portrait of a lady” and I’m just curious to know if there’s a particular reason for that.

   Thanks in advance for your kind reply.

   Best regards,

   Graziella

4. Jane Says:
   June 14th, 2008 at 10:35 am

   Hi, I have read your book ‘Reading Lolita In Teheran,’ and I love it.
   I’m re-reading it again and for the record I wasn’t ‘looking’ for it
   nor knew it existed. I just went into Barnes and Noble in NYC, was
   looking at books and came across yours.

   I see that I am going to have to familiarize myself with Nobokov ’s
   works and ‘A Thousand & One Nights,’ to really get the most out of
   your books, but there is something I want to ask you about your
   interpretation of ‘A Thousand & One Nights’:

   I find your interpretation of the queen and the virgin’s disturbing
   because you say that they accept the king’s authority ‘by acting w/in
   the confines of his domain & by accepting its arbitrary laws,’ as
   opposed to Scheherazade, who does not. Did the virgin’s and queen
   always live, from cradle to grave, with the expectation of accepting
   authority, especially from a king? If so, wouldn’t that have made it
   all but impossible for them to accomplish the maneuver that
   Scheherazade did? Was Scheherazade an outsider? If so, wouldn’t that
   have helped her because that status would have made her different,
   less susceptible to a king’s authority?

   I will have to read ‘A Thousand & One Nights’ on my own to get these
   answers, but I am curious to know what you think and thanks for the
   great book!

   Books I highly recommend are ‘Being-In-Dreaming,’ ‘The Witch’s Dream,’ and ‘Shabono’ by Florinda Donner and ‘The Sorcerer’s Crossing,’ by Taisha Abelar because they definitely challenge conventional wisdom about what women are and can be.

   -Janice Serrano
   aka Jahnis & Jane Doe

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