Azar Nafisi

Date of Birth: December 1, 1948

Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius

Biography

Azar Nafisi is a renowned Iranian-American writer and professor of English literature, best known for her bestselling memoir, “Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books.” Born in Tehran, Iran, she lived through the political upheavals of the Iranian Revolution before moving to the United States. Nafisi’s memoir recounts her experiences of teaching Western literature in secret to a group of female students in her Tehran home, against the backdrop of the oppressive regime in Iran. She has taught at various universities, including Johns Hopkins University, and continues to write and lecture on literature, culture, and human rights.

5 Interesting Facts about Azar Nafisi

1. Azar Nafisi’s memoir “Reading Lolita in Tehran” remained on the New York Times bestseller list for over 117 weeks.

2. She received her Ph.D. in English and American literature from the University of Oklahoma.

3. Nafisi was expelled from the University of Tehran for refusing to wear the mandatory Islamic veil.

4. She is a Fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute of Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

5. Nafisi’s father was the youngest mayor of Tehran and also a former member of the Iranian Parliament.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Azar Nafisi

1. “You get a strange feeling when you’re about to leave a place, I told him, like you’ll not only miss the people you love but you’ll miss the person you are now at this time and this place because you’ll never be this way ever again.”

2. “It is only through literature that one can put oneself in someone else’s shoes and understand their experiences.”

3. “The best works of art are the ones that ask questions and make you think.”

4. “Reading is an active, imaginative act; it takes work.”

5. “The most subversive thing a woman can do is talk about her life as if it really matters.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

The highest net worth achieved by Azar Nafisi is estimated to be around $2 million.

Children

Azar Nafisi has two children, a son and a daughter. Her experiences as a mother have deeply influenced her writing and perspectives on education and freedom.