49 pages • 1 hour read
Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books
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Book Brief
400
Autobiography / Memoir • Nonfiction
Tehran, Iran • 1990s
2003
Adult
18+ years
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.
Informative
Contemplative
Emotional
Mysterious
Reviews & Readership
137,559 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
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 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.
137,559 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
The Magician
The Magician
An enigmatic figure who appears as a close confidant and mentor to Nafisi, known for his love of fiction and film and his reclusive lifestyle post-Iranian Revolution.
Nassrin
Nassrin
A young, elusive member of Nafisi's book club, who is involved in political activism and faces significant personal challenges under the Islamic regime.
Ayatollah Khomeini
Ayatollah Khomeini
Although not directly encountered by Nafisi, he is depicted as a dominant political and ideological figure representing totalitarian power in Iran.
400
Autobiography / Memoir • Nonfiction
Tehran, Iran • 1990s
2003
Adult
18+ years
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