Banned shortly after publication for its depiction of female
freedom, Women Without Men creates an evocative and powerfully
drawn allegory of life in contemporary Iran.
Using the techniques of both the fabulist and the polemicist, Parsipur
continues her protest against traditional Persian gender relations in
this charming, powerful novella. --Publishers Weekly
This modern literary masterpiece follows the interwoven destinies of
five women--including a wealthy middle-aged housewife, a prostitute, and
a schoolteacher--as they arrive by different paths to live together in
an abundant garden on the outskirts of Tehran. Drawing on elements of
Islamic mysticism and recent Iranian history, this unforgettable novel
depicts women escaping the narrow confines of family and society, and
imagines their future living in a world without men.