This is an extraordinary autobiography of a young girl growing up in Iran. The daughter of an English Christian mother and an Iranian Zoroastrian father,...

This is an extraordinary autobiography of a young girl growing up in Iran. The daughter of an English Christian mother and an Iranian Zoroastrian father, Nesta Ramazani sketches her personal life story against the backdrop of a society marked by the fusion of Iranian, Islamic, and Western cultures, and by the efforts of an authoritarian state to force modernization on a traditional society.

Within this multicultural tapestry of personal, cultural, and national life, the author portrays how she came to love Persian and Western music, poetry, and dance. But translating this love into practice seemed an insurmountable task until an American woman pioneered the establishment of the first indigenous Iranian ballet company. As a member of this troupe, the author violated convention, performing first in her native land and then traveling abroad to exhibit this beautiful synthesis of Persian/Western forms to foreign audiences.

The significance of this work transcends an autobiography penned by an Iranian woman--still a taboo in traditional Iranian society--it is a unique microcosm of today's universal quest for a dialogue among civilizations. Ramazani's story will appeal not only to students of Iran, the Middle East, and women's studies, but also to general readers.

Author: Nesta Ramazani
Publisher: Syracuse University Press
Published: 02/01/2002
Pages: 324
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.25lbs
Size: 8.94h x 6.58w x 1.04d
ISBN: 9780815607274


Review Citation(s):
Choice 10/01/2002 pg. 340

About the Author
Nesta Ramazani is a writer, lecturer, and founding member of the Iranian National Ballet Company. She is the author of Persian Cooking: A Table of Exotic Delights. She has also written many articles on the subject of Middle Eastern women, which have appeared in the Middle East Journal, Journal of South Asian and Middle Eastern Affairs, and Middle East Insight. She lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.