Wednesday 24 March 2010

Japan Society Book Club: Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi


Date: Thursday, 8th April 2010, 7.00pm
Venue: The Old Star, 66 Broadway, Westminster, London SW1H 1DB
Free: Free for Japan Society members
Please email the office if you plan to attend


The book for discussion at this meeting is Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. The book club itself is conducted in English but members can choose the language in which they read the book.
Every Thursday morning for two years in the Islamic Republic of Iran, a bold and inspired teacher named Azar Nafisi secretly gathered seven of her most committed female students to read forbidden Western classics. As Islamic morality squads staged arbitrary raids in Tehran, fundamentalists seized hold of the universities, and a blind censor stifled artistic expression, the girls in Azar Nafisifs living room risked removing their veils and immersed themselves in the worlds of Jane Austen, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Henry James, and Vladimir Nabokov. In this extraordinary memoir, their stories become intertwined with the ones they are reading.
The book club is held on the second Thursday of the month. There is no restriction on the nationality of the authors read, but books should be available in translation in both Japanese and English. The discussion is conducted mainly in English, but you can choose the language in which you read the book. The intention is simple; to explore the themes of the book, express personal opinions on the style and content, discuss how the book has changed (or not) in translation and to have a relaxed discussion with others who have similar interests.

The book club is informal and any member is welcome to attend. However, so that we can look out for you, please us know if you plan to come by email to
events@japansociety.org or tel: 020 7828 6330.

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