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Like all Iranians living outside of Iran, I have been glued to media outlets following the post election events. Do I believe the election was rigged? Absolutely. Do I believe that Obama is doing the right thing by not getting more involved? Absolutely! Some of you have asked why Obama is not doing more. Here is a quick history lesson: In 1953, the CIA and the British staged a coup and ousted Iran’s only democratically elected leader Mohammd Mossadegh. Why did they do this? One word: oil. Mossadegh wanted to nationalize the oil industry which had been under British control. (This meant that oil was real cheap.)
Even though the coup took place over 50 years ago, it is still fresh in the minds of Iranians. It changed the course of Iranian history for the worse. Iran might very well have a democracy today were it not for the US and British involvement in 1953. Needless to say, Iranians on the street are very suspicious of forces working behind events in Iran. The extremists would like nothing more than to say that the US is bullying them. And Obama, who is one smart president, knows this. That is why he is doing the right thing and saying very little.
If you want to learn more about the events in 1953, I highly recommend Stephen Kinzer’s book, ALL THE SHAH’S MEN.
I have to admit that every so often, I Google my name, just to see what’s out there in the vast internet about me. I recently found a site called The Food Librarian which belongs to a Los Angeles librarian. This librarian/ culinary genius came up with a recipe inspired by FUNNY IN FARSI. She calls it “Literary Pie: FUNNY IN FARSI Apple Rose Water Pie.” I am just a little hurt that she did not send me a pie. (Note to Food Librarian: It’s not too late to do the right thing!”) Here is the link although I warn you: You will get very, very hungry.
http://foodlibrarian.blogspot.com/2009/02/literary-pie-funny-in-farsi-apple-rose.html
As we say in Iran, “Nushe jan!” (Bon appetit!)
Please take a moment and read this piece on NPR. Your comments and recommendations are really appreciated. They count for a lot on NPR!
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103521950
Thank you,
Firoozeh
This coming Wednesday, April 1st, marks the official launch date for the free PDF download promotion of FUNNY IN FARSI.
This promotion will target teachers, librarians, first-year experience program directors and reading group coordinators in an effort to grow the book within the academic, library and “common reading” marketplace.
The PDF being offered includes the complete text of the book, ancillary material such as a Teacher’s Guide and essays, and an excerpt of my newest book LAUGHING WITHOUT AN ACCENT.
Hope you find it useful! A big thank you to the Academic Marketing department at Random House.
I will be speaking at USC’s Levan Institute on March 24th. The event is free but you must RSVP. Here’s the link:
Tuesday, March 24, 6-8:30 p.m.
Taper Hall 201
(Event code: LEVAN - Please respond online at www.usc.edu/esvp)
Co-sponsors: Middle East Studies, USC College Department of Comparative Literature, Thematic Option, USC Comic Book Club
Here is the link to the Levan Institute that describes the event: http://college.usc.edu/levan/
There will first be a showing of Marjane Satrapi’s brilliant film, Persepolis, followed by my talk and then questions from the audience. It should be a great evening. Hope to see you there!
Welcome to the Bi-Polar Express! As of today, the pilot is back on. Let’s see what happens tomorrow.
I am so grateful for my normal, routine life. Doing laundry, weeding in my garden, cooking, cleaning…this is the good stuff. It really is.
I’m off to Michigan this week where it is 26 degrees!
Ciao! (Baba, this is pronounced “chow.”)
So now I’m being told that the pilot has been postponed not canceled. No wonder so many people in Hollywood have problems with drugs and alcohol! The ups and downs are like a roller coaster but the ride lasts longer than three minutes.
Luckily, I am 43, with children, a station wagon and a garden. I had planned on spending the weekend weeding my garden, and I still plan to do just that.
Thank you for your support! I will keep you posted.
The first thing I do every morning is check the news on CNN.com. This morning, I saw the headline, “Iran has enough uranium to make a bomb.” I felt a sinking sensation in my stomach. Then later on, I found out that ABC has cancelled the pilot for FUNNY IN FARSI. I think it’s because their first choice for director is currently under contract with another network and unavailable. I hope that’s the reason. I still think this project is going to happen. I just don’t know when. Yes, I’m bummed.
I just got the good news…ABC will be shooting a pilot for FUNNY IN FARSI. This is the first step in a long process. If they like the pilot, it will become a series. Stay tuned!