In all the books I've ever read, I've encountered only a handful of women writers. And I like all their works. I'm a big fan of Dame Agatha Christie and her outstanding oeuvre of mysteries. I remember liking Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies and Kiran Desai's Inheritence of Loss (which I'd to read for a course). I thought Shakespeare Wallah (screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, a booker winner) and Hiroshima Mon Amour (written by Marguerite Duras) were superbly written.
I had the good fortune of getting to know someone who heads a publishing house specializing in translated Indian fiction. Thus, I could read some very good Tamil writers' works - A Home in the Sky by Vaasanthi, Surrendered Dreams by Indhumathi and my favorite - Bridges by Sivasankari. That apart, I have read a few short stories at bookstores like Landmark and Crossword where I've chanced upon works by Ambai (what powerful writing!) and Kamala Das.
I've taken to poetry only recently and I like poems of 'Nikki' Giovanni. And some of the poems of two of my friends. They write brilliant stuff. It's just that they're read by a very select, privileged few.
Thanks to my brief romance with the theatre I got to learn and study short stories of Ismat Chughtai. Wow. She's a great storyteller. Her writing has so much flavor! And for another play, we were picking stories by Iranian women and that's when i came across Goli Taraghi. This post is mostly about her works.
About Goli Taraghi
Goli Taraghi is an Iranian prize-winning short story writer and novelist. She began her writing career with a collection of short stories entitled I Am Che Guevara Too in 1969. Her first novel, Winter Sleep, was published in 1973 and has been translated into English and French. She has also written scripts for two major Iranian films, Pear Tree and Bita. Taraghi lives in Tehran and Paris.
I've taken to poetry only recently and I like poems of 'Nikki' Giovanni. And some of the poems of two of my friends. They write brilliant stuff. It's just that they're read by a very select, privileged few.
Thanks to my brief romance with the theatre I got to learn and study short stories of Ismat Chughtai. Wow. She's a great storyteller. Her writing has so much flavor! And for another play, we were picking stories by Iranian women and that's when i came across Goli Taraghi. This post is mostly about her works.
About Goli Taraghi
Goli Taraghi is an Iranian prize-winning short story writer and novelist. She began her writing career with a collection of short stories entitled I Am Che Guevara Too in 1969. Her first novel, Winter Sleep, was published in 1973 and has been translated into English and French. She has also written scripts for two major Iranian films, Pear Tree and Bita. Taraghi lives in Tehran and Paris.
Goli Taraghi is, i think, someone who writes from deep within. Her works are always refreshing and powerful. Her stories are populated with desperate people who lead lonely lives suffused with fear. She is a very 'visual' writer. Her images are vivid and compelling enough to challenge and surprise anyone unfamiliar with Iranian life and literature. She has a very unique style of writing which is straightforward in it's narration and convincing and realistic in it's character development and portrayal. Most of her works are autobiographical. Loneliness, Estrangement, and a sense of displaced detachment form central themes in many of her stories.I've found translations of some of her stories online. These come highly recommended.
'The Shemiran Bus', told from the viewpoint of a young girl, reflects the agonizing uncertainties, obsessions, and intertwining of new, conflicting feelings and urges characteristic of early adolescence. This is a very cute story. You cannot not be touched by it. And she paints such a pretty picture of life in Iran from the little girl's perspective.
In 'The Encounter',a social party for the author turns into an encounter with a 'nemesis' from a long forgotten past.
'The Neighbor' is an interesting story about the interactions between an annoyed neighbor and the author.
'The First Day' chronicles the struggles of the author in a psychiatric clinic. It beautiful captures the striking contrast between the author's past and her present condition.
'The Pomegranate Lady and her Sons' is about a chance encounter of the author with an old lady in an airport that turns into a poignant, larger than life drama. This is my favorite of the lot. It'll probably stay with you long after you read the story.
It is an absolute must read.
All these stories are from Words Without Borders, an online Magazine for International Literature. It features some of the best works from around the world. If you find yourself with lots of time, then i suggest you check out this website. It is worth your time to read it from end to end. You'll love every minute of it.
All the above stories are mirrored in esnips.
While we're talking about Iranian writing and women, it is mandatory that I add links to a great writer and artist who hails from Iran - Marjane Satrapi.
She's become very well known for her highly acclaimed work, Persepolis. It is a wonderful read and has been made into an animation film (As expected it doesn't compare to the experience of reading the GN)
Rapidshare download link - http://rapidshare.com/files/82412699/Persepolis.rar
She's also penned Embrioderies, which captures a post lunch gossip session of women and tells us lots of things we might not know about the lives of Iranian women and their sex lives. It's a thoroughly enjoyable read!
Mediafire download link - Embroideries (2005) (Minutemen-DTs).cbz
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?jdbdv9dge2m
Our Father, who art in heaven,
