Azar Nafisi Quotes

A collection of quotes by Azar Nafisi.

Azar Nafisi is an Iranian-American author and literary critic known for her memoir, "Reading Lolita in Tehran." She was born on December 25, 1955, in Tehran, Iran. Nafisi grew up in a family that valued education and literature, and she developed a love for books from an early age.

Nafisi obtained her undergraduate degree in Western literature at the University of Tehran and later pursued her graduate studies in the United States. She earned a Ph.D. in English literature from the University of Oklahoma and went on to teach at various universities in Iran before becoming a visiting professor at the University of Tehran.

In 1997, Nafisi was forced to resign from her teaching position due to increasing restrictions on academic freedom in Iran. This experience became the catalyst for her widely acclaimed memoir, "Reading Lolita in Tehran," published in 2003. The book recounts Nafisi's experiences as a teacher leading a secret reading group of young women, exploring the power of literature to transcend political and social restraints.

Since the publication of her memoir, Nafisi has become a prominent advocate for women's rights and freedom of expression. She has written several other books, including "Things I've Been Silent About" and "The Republic of Imagination."

Nafisi currently resides in the United States, where she continues to write and speak about literature, women's issues, and the power of storytelling. Her insightful works have received international recognition and have made her a significant voice in contemporary literature.

Basically, fundamentalism is a modern phenomenon. In the sam

Basically, fundamentalism is a modern phenomenon. In the same way that Hitler evoked a mythological religion of German purity and the glory of the past, the Islamists use religion to evoke emotions and passions in people who have been oppressed for a long time in order to reach their purpose.

The negative side of the American Dream comes when people pu

The negative side of the American Dream comes when people pursue success at any cost, which in turn destroys the vision and the dream.

Those in the west who dismiss the repressiveness of laws aga

Those in the west who dismiss the repressiveness of laws against women in countries like Iran, no matter how benign their intentions, present a condescending view not just of the religion but also of women living in Muslim majority countries, as if the desire for choice and happiness is the monopoly of women in the west.

Happiness

America was based on a poetic vision. What will happen when

America was based on a poetic vision. What will happen when it loses its poetry?

Poetry

You need imagination in order to imagine a future that doesn

You need imagination in order to imagine a future that doesn't exist.

Future

Once we know of atrocities we cannot remain silent, and know

Once we know of atrocities we cannot remain silent, and knowledge inevitably leads to an urge to protect the innocent.

Knowledge

I see people who talk about America, and then undermine it b

I see people who talk about America, and then undermine it by not paying attention to its soul, to its poetry. I see polarization, reductionism and superficiality.

Poetry

This is a good time to ask apologists for the Islamic regime

This is a good time to ask apologists for the Islamic regime, who degrades Islam? Who imposes stoning, forced marriage of underage girls and flogging for not wearing the veil? Do such practices represent Iran's ancient history and culture, its ethnic and religious diversity? Its centuries of sensual and subversive poetry?

History

When I first left Iran at the age of 13, Iran had become suc

When I first left Iran at the age of 13, Iran had become such a shining star - it was the point to which all my desires and dreams returned.

Dreams

Religion was used as an ideology, as a system of control. Wh

Religion was used as an ideology, as a system of control. When they forced the veil upon women, they were using it as an instrument of control in the same way that in Mao's China people were wearing Mao jackets and women were not supposed to wear any makeup.

Religion