Islamic Revolution of Iran
All topics-
Modern Persian literature
Five Farsi novels and their impact on Iranian pop culture
Thinking of novels about Iran, the first titles that spring to mind might be "Persepolis", "Reading Lolita in Tehran" or "Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America". Internationally acclaimed books they may be, yet few will have heard of them inside the Islamic Republic. Changiz M. Varzi selects some seminal modern works penned in Farsi
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Caught between tradition and modernity
Will ancient poet Hafez win the "soft war" in Iran?
Iran is far more modern than many people realise: our view is clouded by media distortion and the overriding political narrative. The nation’s historic and cultural riches are often overlooked. A declaration of love for Iran by Marian Brehmer
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Interview with Iranian filmmaker Shahram Mokri
"We are lucky to be alive today"
In August 1978, four men set fire to the Cinema Rex in the Iranian city of Abadan, killing more than four hundred people inside. The event is said to have started the Iranian Revolution to overthrow the Shah's regime. Forty years later, "Careless Crime" by Iranian filmmaker Shahram Mokri depicts four men planning to burn down a cinema in a contemporary Iran where ghosts of the past haunt the current society. Interview by Schayan Riaz
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Book review: Kim Ghattas' "Black Wave"
The rivalry that completely transformed the Middle East
In "Black Wave: Saudi Arabia, Iran and the rivalry that unraveled the Middle East", Dutch Lebanese journalist Kim Ghattas describes the past 40 years in the Middle East and North Africa as a struggle for hegemony between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Throughout the book, she focuses above all on the societal dimension of this rivalry. Daniel Walter read the book
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Control and censorship in the Islamic Republic
Iran’s doctored schoolbooks and the disappearing girls
Since the beginning of the Islamic Republic, the guardians of the country’s religion have been battling to get the correct image of society and history into young people’s heads. But the battle seems to be an increasingly hopeless one. By Shabnam von Hein
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Obituary: Iranian singer Mohammad Reza Shajarian
The voice of the poets
Mohammad Reza Shajarian, the great singer of Persian music, has died at the age of 80. With his passing, the world has lost an outstanding talent and consummate artist. By Stefan Buchen
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Book review: Narges Bajoghli's "Iran Reframed"
Glossy nationalism to win over Iran's youth
A new book offers a deep insight into Iran's state media apparatus. It gives a first-hand account of the debates around the how the system positions itself – and shows how a new approach is being used in an attempt to win over young people to the Islamic Republic. By Daniel Walter
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COVID-19 in Iran
Power, identity and the coronavirus
The coronavirus is changing everything, forcing cancellation of the usual shows of force and mass religious events seen as indispensable to the rulers of the Islamic Republic. A new age is dawning in Iran: a virtual age. By Ali Sadrzadeh
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Non-fiction: Dina Nayeri’s "The Ungrateful Refugee"
Refugees don’t have to be grateful; they have no debt to repay
Refugees are expected to show gratitude and humility towards the country that has taken them in. In her new book, "The Ungrateful Refugee", Dina Nayeri sets out why this is a wholly misguided assumption. By Gerrit Wustmann
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Book review: Amir Hassan Cheheltan's "Der Zirkel der Literaturliebhaber"
A literary cocoon
For decades, lovers of literature would gather at the house of writer Amir Hassan Cheheltan's family to debate classical Persian works – until politics forced its way into the readers' cocoon. By Gerrit Wustmann
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Book review: "Moon Brow" by Shahriar Mandanipour
The angels of war
Over ten years after the publication of "Censoring an Iranian Love Story", Shahriar Mandanipour's latest novel, "Moon Brow", is now available in German translation. This is a story about the loss of youth, the horrors of war and a land in the iron grip of dictatorship. By Gerrit Wustmann
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COVID-19 epidemic in Iran
Faith and the coronavirus
The "holy" city of Qom, the centre of Shia scholarship, was the starting point of the corona epidemic in Iran. The ayatollahs vehemently and successfully resisted quarantine and the virus spread rapidly throughout the country. But corona is not the plague, Iran is not in the Middle Ages and the virus is not divine retribution. By Ali Sadrzadeh