Shahrnush Parsipour, author of the novel *Women Without Men*, has died
Renowned Iranian author Shahrnush Parsipour, whose novel *Women Without Men* was longlisted for the International Booker Prize this year, has died at the age of 80. The author was one of the most influential figures in contemporary Iranian literature and a symbol of the struggle for freedom of speech and women’s rights.
During her lifetime, Shahrnush Parsipour was imprisoned four times because of her works, in which she criticized the patriarchal system and addressed themes of women’s freedom.
Publisher Denise Rose Hansen called the writer’s creative legacy exceptional.
“Her unique vision and incredible courage were and will remain a guiding star for many people. Having spoken with her just a few days ago, I realized that she was always generous, warm, straightforward, quick-witted, and brilliant. We will miss her dearly,” she noted.
Shahrnush Parsipour gained the most fame for her novels *Women Without Men* and *Tuba and the Meaning of the Night*, which have become seminal works of contemporary Iranian literature.
The writer was born on February 17, 1946, in Tehran. She graduated from the University of Tehran with a degree in sociology and also studied Chinese language and culture at the Sorbonne.
She began her literary career in 1969 with the publication of her young adult novel *The Red Ball*.
Parsipour was imprisoned four times. Her first arrest occurred after she resigned from state television in protest against the execution of two Iranian poets.
She was subsequently arrested once under the Shah’s regime and three times after the establishment of the Islamic Republic. Without any formal charges, she spent four years and seven months in prison.
She described her experiences in her memoir, *Prison Memoirs*, the English-language edition of which is scheduled for publication in 2027.
In 1994, Shahrnush Parsipour emigrated to the United States. That same year, she was awarded the Hellman-Hammett Prize for her contribution to the defense of freedom of speech.
In 2003, the writer received the Brown University International Writers’ Fellowship, and in 2010, the university awarded her an honorary doctorate.
In the final years of her life, Parsipour emphasized that it is Iranian women who are capable of bringing about democratic change in the country, while at the same time opposing external military intervention in Iran. She was convinced that freedom must be won by the Iranian people themselves.
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