Women Without Men by Shahrnush Parsipur

Women Without Men by Shahrnush Parsipur

Banned shortly after publication for its depiction of female freedom, Women Without Men creates an evocative and powerfully drawn allegory of life in contemporary Iran. 

"Using the techniques of both the fabulist and the polemicist, Parsipur continues her protest against traditional Persian gender relations in this charming, powerful novella." --Publishers Weekly

This modern literary masterpiece follows the interwoven destinies of five women--including a wealthy middle-aged housewife, a prostitute, and a schoolteacher--as they arrive by different paths to live together in an abundant garden on the outskirts of Tehran. Drawing on elements of Islamic mysticism and recent Iranian history, this unforgettable novel depicts women escaping the narrow confines of family and society, and imagines their future living in a world without men.

Shahrnush Parsipur, who was born in Iran in 1946, started her career as a fiction writer and producer at Iranian National Television and Radio. She was held captive by the Islamist regime for nearly five years without being charged. She was arrested and detained again shortly after her release, this time for her honest and rebellious portrayal of women's sexuality in her book Women Without Men. The novel became an underground bestseller in Iran while it was still forbidden, and it has been translated into many languages across the world. She is the author of many books, including Touba and the Meaning of Night, and now lives in exile in Northern California.