Women without Men

Shortly after the 1989 publication of 'Women Without Men' in her native Iran, Shahrnush Parsipur was arrested and jailed for her frank and defiant portrayal of women's sexuality. Now banned in Iraq, along with the rest of this brave and prolific writer's work, this small masterpiece was eventually translated into several languages, and introduces English-speaking readers to the work of a brilliant Persian writer. With a tone that is stark and bold, yet magical, as its elegantly drawn settings and characters, this novel creates an evocative allegory of life for contemporary Iranian women. Parsipur follows the interwoven destinies of five women -- including a schoolteacher, a housewife and a prostitute -- as they arrive, by many different paths, to live in a garden on the outskirts of Tehran. Using the deceptively simple structure of a fairytale, and drawing on elements from Islamic mysticism and recent Iranian history, this novel depicts women escaping the narrow confines of family and society -- only to face daunting new challenges.

ISBN 1558614524   DEWEY edition DC22 ISBN13 9781558614529 (What's this?)   Pages 176 Publisher Feminist Press at The City University of New York   Volumes 1 Imprint Feminist Press at The City University of New York   Weight (grammes) 209 Format Paperback   Published in New York Publication date 01 Feb 2004   Height (mm) 230 Translator Kamran Talattof   Width (mm) 155 Library of Congress 2003022954   Spine width (mm) 14 DEWEY 891.5533   Academic level General

"Parsipur offers a fascinating glimpse into the lives of women just beginning to discover what the world holds for them if they are willing to strike out on their own." - Booklist

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