In a Persian Mirror: Images of the West and Westerners in Iranian Fiction

The extreme anti-Western actions and attitudes of Iranians in the past decade have astonished and dismayed the West, which has characterized the Iranian positions as irrational and inexplicable. In this groundbreaking study of images of the West in Iranian literature, however, M. R. Ghanoonparvar reveals that these attitudes did not develop suddenly or inexplicably but rather evolved over more than two centuries of Persian-Western contact.
Notable among the authors whose works Ghanoonparvar discusses are Sadeq Hedayat, M. A. Jamalzadeh, Hushang Golshiri, Gholamhoseyn Sa'edi, Simin Daneshvar, Moniru Ravanipur, Sadeq Chubak, and Jalal Al-e Ahmad. This survey significantly illuminates the sources of Iranian attitudes toward the West and offers many surprising discoveries for Western readers, not least of which is the fact that Iranians have often found Westerners to be as enigmatic and incomprehensible as we have believed them to be.

Literature & Fiction

Ghanoonparvar, M.R.

History & Criticism

University of Texas Press

Humor & Entertainment

Movies

Translating a work of literature from one language to another is an art form, in which the translated work becomes a "conduit" through which the reader of one language may pass into the cultural world of another. For the translator, the process of translation offers an intimate experience of the text that is perhaps unavailable even to the author. And yet, as M. R. Ghanoonparvar observes at the outset of this book, "every translation is inevitably a failure, with occasional moments of success." In Translating the Garden, Ghanoonparvar allows readers to watch him in the process of translating Shahrokh Meskub's Goftogu dar Bagh (Dialogue in the Garden) from Persian into English. This short philosophical work uses a conversation between a writer and a painter to explore Persian perceptions of art, literature, nature, identity, and spirituality. As he translates the text, Ghanoonparvar discusses the myriad decisions that a literary translator faces, from word choices to the problems of conveying cultural concepts and deciphering authorial intent. He also compares some of his translated passages with those of other translators to highlight the uniqueness of each act of translation. The complete English translation of Dialogue in the Garden rounds out the volume.

Translating the Garden

Arts & Photography

Examines modernist Persian literature as an artistic record of the eventful history of Iranian society during the present century. Also discusses the role of the literary artist as a modern social prophet.

Prophets of Doom

University Press of America

Examines modernist Persian literature as an artistic record of the eventful history of Iranian society during the present century. Also discusses the role of the literary artist as a modern social prophet.

Reference

"A very engaging saga..." Washington Post Book World; "A powerfully resonant work.." Publishers Weekly; "Outstanding foreign fiction..." USA Today. Savushun (pronounced "sa-voo-shoon") is a folk tradition, surviving in Southern Iran from an undateable pre-islamic past, that conjures hope in spite of everything. The novel chronicles the life of a Persian family during the World War II Allied occupation of Iran. It is set in Shiraz, a town which evokes images of Persepolis and pre-islamic monuments, the great Persian poets, the shrines, sufis and nomadic tribes all within a historical web of the interests, privilege and influence of foreign powers, corruption, incompetence and arrogance of persons in authority. The story is seen through the eyes of Zari, a young wife, and mother, who copes with her idealistic husband while struggling with her desire for traditional family life and her need for an individual identity. simin daneshvar lives and continues to write in Iran.

Savushun: A Novel About Modern Iran (Persian Classics)

Daneshvar, Simin

Contemporary

Mage Publishers, Incorporated

PERSIAN CUISINE is a collection of authentic traditional recipes featuring a blend of tastes which are both exotic and familiar to the Western palate, with a wide variety of rices; combinations of meats, nuts, fruits, and vegetables in stews, souffles, pottages, and soups; stuffed vegetables; salads and pickles; and delectable desserts; in addition to breads, drinks and much more. These recipes have been selected not only for their authenticity, but also for their ease of preparation and suitability to the ingredients readily found in the American market. The recipes are well-suited to the vegetarian diet.

Persian Cuisine: Traditional Foods/Book 1 (English and Persian Edition)

Cookbooks, Food & Wine

Regional & International

Mazda Pub

Persian Cuisine: Regional and Modern Foods: 2

Parenting & Relationships

Family Activities

Iranian Drama: An Anthology (English and Persian Edition)

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Books by Ghanoonparvar, M.R.