Reading Lolita in Tehran
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Taken from my blog,
Why did I borrow this book? Maybe the word “Lolita” caught my attention? Maybe I wanted to know more about the people in Iran? Well, although the pace is a bit slow, it is still a good read. Somehow certain parts of this book remind me of Singapore. You have to read it to know what I meant by that.
Taken from the back of the book,
“In Iran on the late 90s, Azar Nafisi and seven young women – her former students – gathered at her house every Thursday to discuss forbidden works of Western literature. Shy and uncomfortable at first, they soon began to open up, not only about the novels they were reading but also about their own dreams and disappointments. Their personal stories intertwine with those they are reading – Pride and Prejudice, Washington Square, Daisy Miller and Lolita – their Lolita, as they imagined here in Tehran. Azar Nafisi also tells her own story, back to the early days of the revolution when she first started teaching at the University of Tehran, amid a swirl of protests and demonstrations.”
An excerpt from the book – page 94,
“I explained that most great works of the imagination were meant to make you feel like a stranger in your own home. The best fiction always forced us to question what we took for granted. It questioned traditions and expectations when they seemed too immutable. I told my students I wanted them in their readings to consider in what ways these works unsettled them, made them a little uneasy, made them look around and consider the world, like Alice in Wonderland, through different eyes.” -
Actually, the word lolita has sexual connotations..well at least to me
Mabbe coz its those porn directors who abused it
Thats why shocked to see it with the word Teheran... -
Maybe that was why I borrowed it at the first place.Originally posted by laurence82:Actually, the word lolita has sexual connotations..well at least to me
Mabbe coz its those porn directors who abused it
Thats why shocked to see it with the word Teheran...
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Even tho Iran is ruled by Islamic fundamentalists, its good to see they have some sort of vibrant arts scene, whether publicly done or underground in order to keep away from the officious religious police.Originally posted by DeadPoet:Maybe that was why I borrowed it at the first place.
Whats the name of the documentary Jack Neo had his ideas for Homerun again? -
I think it is Children of Heaven, directed by Majid Majidi in 1997.Originally posted by laurence82:Whats the name of the documentary Jack Neo had his ideas for Homerun again?
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a shame...but there is no correlation between the vibrancy of the local arts scenes and the level of political dictatorship in the country...Originally posted by DeadPoet:I think it is Children of Heaven, directed by Majid Majidi in 1997.
I think i try to watch Children of Heaven one day.... -
caught Children of Heaven before at the cinema before .....Originally posted by laurence82:a shame...but there is no correlation between the vibrancy of the local arts scenes and the level of political dictatorship in the country...
I think i try to watch Children of Heaven one day....
it's all about running for a pair of shoes
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I've seen the show on TV. Not too sure if you can get its VCD.Originally posted by laurence82:a shame...but there is no correlation between the vibrancy of the local arts scenes and the level of political dictatorship in the country...
I think i try to watch Children of Heaven one day.... -
Run Hippo Run!!!Originally posted by InnoHippo:caught Children of Heaven before at the cinema before .....
it's all about running for a pair of shoes -
i rather pay for the shoes than run for itOriginally posted by DeadPoet:Run Hippo Run!!!