Shahrnush Parsipur

A prolific author whose writings encompass a whole multitude of literary genres, Shahrnush Parsipur started her writing career at the early age of sixteen. A graduate of Sociology from Tehran University, her study of Chinese Philosophy and Language at Sorbonne had a formative impact on skilled manipulation of myths and near mythical figures in the plots of such best sellers as “Women without Men” and “Touba and the Meaning of Night”. Voices of dissent in recent tumultuous epochs of Iranian history along with Parsipur’s criticism of degrading social practices against Iranian women and her personal introspections have been interweaved to narrate the voyage of Iranian psyche at large in modern times. Her awards and recognitions include an honorary doctorate degree from Brown University, the Hilman-Hammet (twice) and Prima Literary award from Italy. Parsipur has had numerous book readings in Europe and North America, and a number of her novels have been translated to English, German, and Russian. A movie based on her novel “Women without Men” won the best director award at the Venice Film Festival. Parsipur’s venture into prohibited realms of politics and religion has put her at odds with ruling authorities before and after revolution and led to her forced migration to the U.S.
Parsipur will have two book readings in Tirgan (in Persian).