Reading Lolita in Tehran

Every Thursday morning in a living room in Iran, over tea and pastries, the author and other women meet in secret to discuss forbidden works of Western literature. This book tells how they lose themselves in the worlds of Lolita, and share their own stories, dreams with each other, and, for a few hours, taste freedom.

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Every Thursday morning in a living room in Iran, over tea and pastries, eight women meet in secret to discuss forbidden works of Western literature. As they lose themselves in the worlds of Lolita, The Great Gatsby and Pride and Prejudice, gradually they come to share their own stories, dreams and hopes with each other, and, for a few hours, taste freedom. Azar Nafisi's bestselling memoir is a moving, passionate testament to the transformative power of books, the magic of words and the search for beauty in life's darkest moments.