reading lolita
It is rare that I have time to read for pleasure, but I am making sure I find time to read a few books these days. I have been out of that loop for WAY too long! Oh, of course - I read things here and there. But it has been a long time since I've indulged in a novel. And this one is just the thing I need right now in my life...
Reading Lolita in Tehran has been an amazing experience for me so far. I don't want to say too much until I have read the whole book lest I represent something incompletely or unfaithfully. But some of what I have read has just moved me deeply and has connected me with a deeper understanding of a woman's experience in Iran. And today's Iran, no less - not the Iran of 50 years ago.
I am blown away by the author's description of the deep impact oppressing women has on society there - that we cannot expect a population to remain completely intact when one half of it is constantly under pressure and hidden away, for all intents and purposes. That women are "covered" as they are there ultimately takes its toll on the men of Iran as well. When one wing is damaged, the bird cannot fly. I get that so deeply thanks to Nafisi's detailed accounts of various events. (I'm not giving the book away! Go read it...)
I am also struck by her reflection on the generational difference of women in Iran. She describes her generation as having had their lives ripped away from them - they feel a sense of deprivation because they have lost so much. So much has been taken from them. (They are like Lolita in this way.) But her daughter's generation has never HAD anything to begin with in terms of freedoms, experiences and memories. Their loss is different - it is not really loss because, again, they didn't have it in the first place. It is almost like a null value instead - this generation just isn't. (Kind of like "the nothing" in The Neverending Story. Mom will like that allusion!) Reading about that really saddened me. Deeply.
There is much more to be said, but I'll save it for after I have finished reading. I am loving it though and welcome thoughts or questions.