Photo: Larry D. Moore / CC BY 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Azar Nafisi is, to me, proof that books can be acts of defiance. Born in Tehran in 1948 and shaped by life under the Islamic Republic, she taught English literature and wrote Reading Lolita in Tehran, turning a secret reading circle of women into a quiet declaration of freedom. She emigrated to the United States in 1997 and became a citizen in 2008, yet never stopped speaking for the homeland she left. The Rome Prize fits her perfectly. I deeply admire anyone who insists that a single novel can light a fire in the mind. Nafisi reminds me that literature is not escape but resistance.
Overview
Azar Nafisi (Persian: آذر نفیسی; born 1948) is an Iranian-American writer and professor of English literature. Born in Tehran, Iran, she has resided in the United States since 1997 and became a U.S. citizen in 2008.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Azar Nafisi
- Name (Japanese)
- アーザル・ナフィースィー
- Reading
- あーざる・なふぃーすぃー
- Born
- December 20, 1948 (age 77)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Sagittarius / Rat
- Origin
- Tehran, Tehran Province, Iran
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- writer / professor / novelist / literary critic / academic staff
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- University of Oklahoma
Awards & achievements
- Rome Prize
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Reading Lolita in Tehran | — |
6. Links
Writer — see all → · Professor — see all → · More people from Iran →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.