description: In a direct, frank, and intimate exploration of Iranian literature and society, scholar, teacher, and poet Fatemeh Keshavarz challenges popular perceptions of Iran as a society bereft of vitality and joy. Her fresh perspective on present day Iran provides a rare insight into this rich culture alive with artistic expression but virtually unknown to most Americans. She warns against the rise of what she calls the 'New Orientalist narrative," which thrives on stereotype and prejudice and is often tied to current geopolitical conflict rather than an understanding of Iran. She offers a lively critique of the recent best-seller Reading Lolita in Tehran, which she says epitomizes this New Orientalist attitude. Blending in firsthand glimpses of her own life Keshavarz paints a portrait of Iran depicting both cultural depth and intellectual complexity.
language: English
title: Jasmine and Stars: Reading More Than Lolita in Tehran
titlecomplete: Jasmine and Stars: Reading More Than Lolita in Tehran
genres: Books About Books, Biography, Iran, Nonfiction, Memoir, Womens, Literature, Feminism, Islam, Literary Criticism
ratings_count: 309
places: Iran
series: Islamic Civilization and Muslim Networks
publisher: The University of North Carolina Press