Anita Amirrezvani crafts narratives that delve into the profound depths of human experience. Her literary work is characterized by a fluid, evocative style that draws readers into richly imagined worlds. Through her storytelling, she often explores themes of identity, culture, and the connections between people. Her writing is celebrated for its emotional resonance and insightful perspective on the human condition.
This anthology brings together twenty-seven authors from a wide range of experiences that offer new perspectives on the Iranian American story. Altogether, the narratives capture the diversity of the Iranian diaspora and complicate the often-narrow view of Iranian culture represented in the media. The stories and novel excerpts explore the deeply human experiences of one of the newest immigrant groups to the United States in its attempts to adjust and assimilate in the face of major historical upheavals.
"In rural Iran, a spirited village girl approaches the age of marriage, only to find her destiny shattered after a fiery comet blazes ominously across the desert sky. On the death of her beloved father, the young woman and her distraught mother are forced into a difficult new life in the fabled city of Isfahan. Taken in as house servants by her uncle Gostaham, a well-to-do carpet designer, and his demanding wife, the two women confront an unforgiving world." "When the heroine blossoms as a brilliant maker of carpets under her uncle's tutelage, the future brightens. But disaster strikes again when an impetuous act results in the heroine's disgrace, forcing her into a secret marriage. If she is to thrive, she must risk the family's reputation and rely on her artistic genius, and her extraordinary will, to save herself and her mother." "Seventeenth-century Iran comes alive in all its splendour and cultural nuance in this luminous novel. The bustle of bazaars overflowing with rosewater and saffron; the breathtakingly beautiful silk and gold rugs of the Shah's carpet workshop; and Isfahan's incomparable bridges, gardens, teahouses, and hammams: all are captured here."--BOOK JACKET.
Iran in 1576 is a place of wealth and dazzling beauty. But when the Shah dies without having named an heir, the court is thrown into tumult. Princess Pari, the Shah’s daughter and protégée, knows more about the inner workings of the state than almost anyone, but her maneuvers to instill order after her father’s sudden death incite resentment and dissent. Pari and her closest adviser, Javaher, a eunuch able to navigate the harem as well as the world beyond the palace walls, possess an incredible tapestry of secrets that explode in a power struggle of epic proportions. Legendary women—from Anne Boleyn to Queen Elizabeth I to Mary, Queen of Scots—changed the course of history in the royal courts of England. While they are celebrated, few people know of the powerful and charismatic women in the Muslim world. Based loosely on Princess Pari Khan Khanoom, Equal of the Sun is a riveting story of political intrigue that brings one extraordinary woman to light. Anita Amirrezvani is a master storyteller, and her lustrous prose brings to life this rich and labyrinthine world with a stunning cast of characters—passionate and brave men and women who defy or embrace their destiny in a Machiavellian game played by those who lust for power and will do anything to attain it.
