Azar Nafisi

Iranian-American writer · Iran · On the map · Writers · Born 1948 · age 77

Azar Nafisi is an Iranian-American writer and professor of English literature. Born in Tehran, Iran, she has resided in the United States since 1997 and became a U.S. citizen in 2008.

Azar Nafisi is read about 146 times a day, in 26 languages.

A typical day, 30 days to 6 November 2026

The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 110 days, one point a day.

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A life in dates

2005Grand prix des lectrices de Elle for non-fictionAward2003“I explained that most great works of the imagination were meant to make you feel like a stranger in your own home.”In their wordsReading Lolita in Tehran (2003)Read the whole statement

“A novel is not an allegory ... It is the sensual experience of another world.”In their wordsReading Lolita in Tehran (2003)Read the whole statement

“Empathy lies at the heart of Gatsby, like so many other great novels - the biggest sin is to be blind to others' problems and pains. Not seeing them means denying their existence.”In their wordsReading Lolita in Tehran (2003)Read the whole statement

“Yes, the novel is about concrete living relationships, a man's love for a woman, a woman's betrayal of that love.”In their wordsReading Lolita in Tehran (2003)Read the whole statement

“It is because these characters depend to such a high degree on their own sense of integrity that for them, victory has nothing to do with happiness.”In their wordsOn Henry James and his novelsRead the whole statement

2002“Khatami is a symptom and not the cause of change in Iran.”In their words2 May 2002PBS.org, Interviews for FrontlineRead the whole statement

1948Born20 December 1948

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Azar Nafisi

4 statements, newest first

Every great work of art ... is a celebration, an act of insubordination against the betrayals, horrors and infidelities of life.
2003 · Reading Lolita in Tehran (2003), Own words
Azin has bent forward, her long earings playing hide-and-seek in the ringlets of her hair. "We need to be honest with ourselves," she said. I mean, that is the first condition.
2003 · Reading Lolita in Tehran (2003), Own words
Dreams, Mr. Nyazi, are perfect ideals, complete in themselves. How can you impose them on a constantly changing, imperfect, incomplete reality?
2003 · Reading Lolita in Tehran (2003), Own words