49 pages 1 hour read

Azar Nafisi

Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2003

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Before You Read

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Super Short Summary

Reading Lolita in Tehran, by Azar Nafisi, is a memoir recounting her experiences teaching English literature in Iran post-1979 revolution until her exile in 1997. Nafisi secretly formed a book club with her female students to freely discuss works by authors such as Nabokov, Fitzgerald, James, and Austen, using literature to explore political, cultural, and social issues of the Islamic Republic era. The book contains depictions of political and domestic violence, child sexual abuse, and death by suicide.

Reviews & Readership

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Review Roundup

Azar Nafisi's Reading Lolita in Tehran captivates with its blend of literary analysis and personal memoir, offering profound insights into life in post-revolutionary Iran. Praised for its eloquent prose and poignant themes, it sometimes faces critique for digressive narration. Overall, it remains a thought-provoking homage to the power of literature.

Who should read this

Who Should Read Reading Lolita in Tehran?

A reader who appreciates memoirs blending personal narrative with literary analysis would enjoy Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. Fans of Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis or Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns will find the exploration of life under oppressive regimes particularly compelling.

RecommendedReading Age

18+years

Book Details

Topics

Gender / Feminism

History: Middle Eastern

Politics / Government

Themes

Values/Ideas: Literature

Society: War

Self Discovery

Genre

Biography