Women Without Men

by Shahrnush Parsipur, Faridoun Farrokh (Translator)

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.

Genres: Fiction, Iran, Feminism, Middle East, Magical Realism, Classics, Literary Fiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1973

About the author

(Persian: شهرنوش پارسی‌پور)

Reviews

[Adina ( not enough time ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 1/13
Longlisted for The International Booker Prize 2026

The International Booker Prize is probably the only award I try to follow and read all the entries. Last year was the only time I managed to at least start all of the nominations. I finished 9, which is more than expected. I will try do a similar “good” job this year as well. Let’s begin.

I chose Women Without Men to be the first novel I read for two main reasons. 1, it’s about Iran and we all know what happens there right now. 2, it’s been on my TBR the longest, 2022 to be more precise.

Women Without Men is a strange little book. It employs magical realism liberally, which it is hit or miss with me. Here, it was a success, I think it worked well. Hmm, while I am writing, I realised that the last International Booker nominee from Iran, was also full of magical realism and involved a tree (more on that later). I am talking about The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree, a book I also loved.

Women Without Men tells the story of a series of women, who will end up living together (without men, or almost) after a series of strange circumstances. The novel is set during a period of political unrest (a coup), but it does not bear too much weight in the dynamic of the story. It is more about the individual lives of the women and how they are woven together with the others.

The novel(la) reads as a series of interwoven vignettes, like the branches of a tree. That tree again, why do you keep mentioning a tree, you may ask. Well for the simple fact that one of the women decides to grow roots and transform herself into a tree. Why a tree? Here is what Google wrote to me when I asked: “Iran is one of the oldest cultures in which trees, as sacred beings, have always been respected and have had many ritualistic functions. Mythology and history of Iran are replete with events that denote the sanctity of trees.” The book is full of mythologic references, many that I probably missed.

[Jimmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a review that claimed that this is not a feminist novel. If it were a feminist novel, the characters would not rely on men, they would assert themselves powerfully at all times, and their lives would be better for it.

Umm, newsflash. A novel can be feminist without all its characters being feminists, strong women, and perfect all the time. That would be unrealistic and boring. Let's first understand that feminism is realism, i.e. realistic portrayal of women, including women who are not feminists, including women who are anti-feminists. And these are realistic women, despite the amount of magical realism, surrealism, and straight-up fantasy that also creeps in. In fact, it's the grim reality of their situation that makes these flights of fancy so powerful.

This patriarchal system is all there is for the Iranian women in this novel, it is all they've ever known. For them to become full fledged feminists as we know it in the west would be unrealistic. But to see them oppressing each other, keeping each other in check, this was heartbreaking. You get a sense of the true ubiquity of this system. Simply having one's own will, being able to dream, to want something for oneself however tiny, say to turn into a tree, or to move away and start a community becomes a courageously feminist act.

I did not love everything about this novel, the writing was uneven, and some of the fantasy elements seemed a bit too random for me... but I thought it was unique and interesting, and I definitely enjoyed reading it.

A comparison of translations:

Translation by Kamran Talattof and Jocelyn Sharlet:

This translation was strangely veiled, like it was trying not to say things straight out. This made it much harder to understand. The rhythm of the sentences was shorter than the other translation. No footnotes. Introduction by Kamran Talatof: one of the most rubbish introductions to a book I've ever read. Including synopsis of entire plot. It reads like a high school book report plagiarised from wikipedia, including some details of the author's life and works, some very obvious interpretations of this book.

Excerpt:

Mahdokht's heart stopped. The girl, Fatemeh, at fifteen like a worldly woman, was at hte end of the greenhouse with Yadallah, the gardener. With his bald head and oozing eyes, it was difficult to look at him.

The world around her went dark, and her legs began to tremble. She involuntarily clutched the edge of a table. But she could not take her eyes off them. She looked and looked until they saw her. The guy had begun to whimper. He wanted to escape but he couldn't He was mindlessly beating the girl. The girl extended her hand toward Mahdokht. Mahdokht ran out of the greenhouse. She didn't know what to do. She headed for the pool in a daze, and wanted to throw up. She washed her hands and sat on the bench.

"What can I do?"

Translation by Faridoun Farrokh:

This translation was more straight forward. There were footnotes. Foreword by the filmmaker Shirin Neshat. Afterword by the author explaining where she got inspiration for each one of the characters.

Excerpt:

Her heart missed a beat. The servant girl, Fati, fifteen years old, but more resembling a streetwalker, lay at the far end of the greenhouse with Yadollah, the gardener, with a bald head and repulsive, red-rimmed eyes, panting, panting, panting.

Mahdokht, near collapse and reaching for a shelf to steady herself, could not take her eyes off the scene. The man was the first to notice her. He let out a squeal and tried to disentangle himself from the embrace of the girl by hitting her in the face with one hand and reaching with the other for Mahdokht, who rushed out of the greenhouse and wandered aimlessly in the courtyard, fraught with nausea. She hurried to the pool, dipped her hands in the water, washing them compulsively. She then sat on the edge of the bedstead.

"What shall I do?"

[Meike · Rating 2 out of 5]

Longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2026
This pamphlet disguised as a novella illustrates how fucked the Iranian theocracy actually is: They are apparently so afraid of a story stating outrageously progressive views like "women shouldn't be raped with impunity", "women should be protected from domestic violence" or - gasp! - "women have worth as human beings no matter whether they are virgins or not", that they've banned the story and incarcerated the author, because we all know that makes all problems go away and underlines that the patriarchy works great and is not scaredy scared *cough cough*. Make no mistake, I agree with Parsipur that Trump's latest illegal attack war, this time feat. Israel, will not bring freedom to Iran, but I also agree with her that the Iranian extremists in power need to go. So her novella, originally published in 1989, calls out various forms of violence against women, and shows how women respond to the political and societal situation around them.

The text follows five women in the wake of the 1953 Iranian coup d'état (the Americans backed the coup to return the Shah to power, laying the groundwork for today's mess): Teacher Mahdokht, who has internalized the bigotry around her, resigns after a co-worker hits on her and lets a rape victim down; Munis's life is dictated by her older brother and she dies twice, roaming through the pages as a ghost; Faizeh is Munis' friend, but also has a crush on her brother and thus betrays her; Zarrinkolah is a severely traumatized prostitute who always appears cheerful and suddenly sees clients without heads; Farrokhlaqa is verbally abused by her husband who also wants to take more wives. All these women decide to travel to a garden in Karaj to find solutions to their problems and/or fulfill their wishes.

I really enjoyed that Parsipur populated her story with women of different ages who encounter various challenges, thus creating a panorama of misogyny rooted in bigoted convictions claimed to be religious truths. The thing is though: The text hits you over the head with its message, there is no subtlety, and it's also not very immersive, but declarative and descriptive. I struggle with fiction that is overpowered with righteous anger, because I feel like an author has to wonder what the appropriate text form is - and here, it reads like it should have been a reportage with protagonists kept as anonymous sources. The magical realism and the, again, heavy-handed metaphors (Janah/Eden etc.) did nothing for me, and I was struggling to get through this short book.

So before you start crying "but it's so important to talk about this!": Yes, I agree, and I applaud the brave author and her fearless determination, but I don't see that this novella is exceptional as narrative literature.

[Dream.M · Rating 3 out of 5]

رمان زنان بدون مردان، روایت رنج بخشی از زنانی ست که اسیر سنت های غلط، تابو های فرهنگی و محدودیت های اجتماعی اند و  در برحه ای حساس از تاریخ ایران می زیسته اند. زنانی که فرفی ندارد کجایند و چه می کنند؛ زیرا چه در خانه پدر باشند و چه در خانه همسر، چه پیر باشند  و چه جوان، چه فقیر باشند و چه ثروتمند، هریک به نوعی از حق زیستن طبیعی محروم شده اند. آن چه این رمان روایت می کند، مسئله ایست که حتی با گذشت دهه ها از تاریخ نوشتن آن هنوز تازه و هنوز دغدغه زنان و مردان آزاد اندیش است .
....
فایل ‌کتاب رو اگر پیدا نکردید، موجوده

[Sleepless Dreamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Becoming a tree in order to avoid life problems is definitely a 2020 mood. Review to come!

[Peiman E iran · Rating 3 out of 5]

‎دوستانِ گرانقدر، این کتاب از 15 داستان تشکیل شده که برخی از آنها به یکدیگر مرتبط هستند و داستان ها بیشتر حول محورِ «پردۀ بکارت» در زنان و دل نگرانی هایِ آنها در این مورد، میچرخد... به انتخاب قسمتهایی را برایِ شما عزیزان در زیر مینویسم
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‎چه میشد اگر مهدخت هزار دست داشت و هفته ایی پانصد بلوز میبافت؟؟ با هر دو دست یک دانه، هزار دست پانصد دانه.... ولی خوب آدم که پانصد دست نمیتواند داشته باشد، آنهم مهدخت که زمستان را دوست داشت... حالا اگر قرار باشد آدم هزار عدد دستکش دستش کند، پنج ساعت حداقل طول میکشد... چشم دولت کور، خودش برود کارخانۀ بافندگی راه بیاندازد
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‎مهدخت: «بکارتِ» من مثل یک درخت است، شاید برایِ همین است که من سبزم... خوب من تخم که نیستم، درختم.. باید خودم را نشاء کنم
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‎مونس گفت: «بکارت» یک پرده است.. خانم جان میگه، دختر اگر از بلندی بپرد، «بکارتش» صدمه میبیند، پرده است، ممکن است پاره شود
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‎فائزه در جواب به مونس میگوید: این حرفها چیست؟! «بکارت» یک سوراخ است، ولی تنگ است، بعد گشاد میشود... در کتاب خوندم، من خیلی میخونم... «بکارت» یک سوراخ است
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‎مونس 28 سال از زندگیش به او گفته بودند که «بکارت» یک پرده است که هر دختری که آن را نداشته باشد، خدا او را نمیبخشد!!!... حال دو شب و سه روز بود که فائزه به او گفته بود که «بکارت» پرده نیست و سوراخ است...خشمِ سردی تنِ مونس را پُر کرده بود، به فکر آن روزهایِ بچگی افتاده بود که با حسرت به درختها نگاه کرده بود، به آرزویِ اینکه فقط یک روز و یکبار از یکی از آن درختها بالا رود، ولی از ترسِ پاره شدنِ «پردۀ بکارت» هرگز این کار را نکرده بود... گفت: من انتقام میگیرم
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‎مونس 3 شبانه روز زیرِ درختی نشست و کتابِ «راز کامیابی هایِ جنسی.. یا بدنِ خود را بشناسیم» را 3 مرتبه خواند و وقتی عالیه را دید به او گفت: من دیگر آن مونسِ قدیم نیستم، حالا بسیار چیزها میدانم... اما چون روزها از مونس خبری نبود، برادرِ مونس، امیرخان او را کتک زد، وقتی مونس علتش را پرسید، چاقو را در قلبِ مونس فرو کرد و او را کشت... فائزه هم برایِ دلبری به امیرخان گفت: خوب کردی و دوتایی مونس را در باغچه خ��ک کردند!!... بعد هم فائزه با امیرخان رویِ هم ریخت و با او بود... ولی بعدها امیرخان فائزه همان دخترِ پست و بی وجدان را رها کرد و به خواستگاریِ دخترِ حاج محمد سرخ چهره رفت
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‎فائزه از دوری و عشقِ امیرخان بی تاب بود... خانم باجی به فائزه گفت: راهِ غلبه بر این عشق این است که 7 شب، پا برهنه، 7 بار و 7 قدم به طرفِ قبله بروی!!! و هفت بار و هفت قدم برعکسِ قبله بروی !! و در هر قدم بگویی: ای خدا من را از شرّ وسوسه هایِ شیطان خلاص کن... بعد پاهایت را بشوری و در رختخواب هم که میخوابی، پاهایت را از زیر لحاف بیرون بگذاری
‎فائزه رفت که طلسم را در باغچه خاک کند، دید که مونس هنوز زنده است
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‎گلچهره گفت: وقتی یک زن یائسه میشود، احساساتش هم فرق میکند؟! باید همینطور باشد...لابد برایِ همین مرد حق دارد چندتا زن بگیرد، که مجبور نباشد یک یائسه را در رختخوابش تحمل کند
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‎امیرخان فائزه را بدونِ آنکه زنش بفهمد، عقد کرد و برایش خانه ای جداگانه گرفت... بهانه اش چه بود؟ مونس گفته بود، دختر قبل از ازدواج با امیرخان، توسطِ پسردایی اش حامله شده بود و دکتر فاطمی او را جراحی کرده بود
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‎مونس، 7 سال از 7 بیابان گذشت و خسته و با تجربه برگشت و سپس خودش را تمییز کرد!! رفت و معلم مدرسه شد
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‎امیدوارم این ریویو در جهتِ شناختِ این کتاب، کافی و مفید بوده باشه
‎<پیروز باشید و ایرانی>

[Katia N]

The last time I’ve read a work of fiction set in Iran was The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree. That book described a devastation to individual families and to the certain elements of the society caused by the Islamic revolution. It has used elements of magic realism. Someone called its author 'Isabel Allende of Iran'.

This novella as well focuses on individual lives with a backdrop of a turbulent political events (the coup organised by the British and CIA in 1953) and uses magical realism. But the backdrop is arguably less crucial for the story and magical realism is more effective.

In essence this is a feminist fable devoted to a quiet and subversive resistance of individual women to the archaic traditions and patriarchy in their society. They don’t have enough tools and even knowledge, but they still try to find the way out of their trap.

Magic realism helps of course. Anticipating The Vegetarian, one young woman has chosen to turn into a tree. Another one has managed to die twice but not quite. In the process she has obtained a gift of wisdom and the ability to read someone’s else thoughts. Yet another has been recruited into prostitution from a very young age. Having started to see all men without heads, she has managed to escape her predicament. Through a manipulation and occasional violence they win and loss their battles with extremely oppressive men. At some stage they find a respite in a country- house bought by a rich and beautiful woman who has also suffered from an insufferable husband but has managed to resolve her situation with him in a simple but effective way. The house comes alone with the orchard where the tree-woman has chosen to 'put her roots'. They are joined by one man- gardener who seems to be more like ethereal presence. (Could he be a jinn inspired by Sufi tradition?)

If the outline of this struggle sounds a bit familiar, that is because it is. What makes this novella stand out is the way of storytelling, tight control over the plot and strong connection to the local context (for example, the issue of virginity seemed to be quite crucial source of anxiety for the characters). It is written as if it is an oral story to be told to the others rather than to be read. The language is simple, the individual chapters are quick in getting to ‘the point’. But the imagery they contain is quite impressive. Interestingly, in the afterword, the author writes that each of the five women has had a real protagonist (or a mixture of them). In another uncanny parallel to The Vegetarian, the tree-character is based on the young woman, the cousin of the author who has suffered from anorexia. The character of a prostitute is based on the woman whom the author has met while imprisoned by the regime of the Islamic republic. In general I thought this afterword has created another dimension to this novella and has made it more compelling.

Broadly this novella covers a similar territory to the last year’s winner Heart Lamp: Selected Stories. That collection was also dealing with daily lives of the women in the extremely patriarchal coercive society. Both books also pay a lot of attention to details, for example cooking. However, the style of these two books is very different. 'Heart Lamp' is shockingly realistic and atmospheric; while this novella is a more dreamy, more hopeful fable.

It feels almost surreal to write this on the evening of another US-lead intervention that might lead to replacement of the Islamist state with yet another shah (or lead to chaos or anything else in between). Is it magic or is it realism? Time would tell. But one thing is certain: those courageous people of Iran especially its women have fought bravely for their freedom and have suffered enough. They deserve much better future.

[Eylül Görmüş · Rating 4 out of 5]

İranlı yazar Shahrnush Parsipur'un minik romanı Erkeksiz Kadınlar, büyülü gerçekçiliğin bizim coğrafyamıza en az Latin Amerika kadar uygun olduğunun ispatı resmen. 1946 doğumlu yazarımız henüz 7 yaşındayken tanık olduğu çalkantılı bir döneme kuruyor anlatısını: 1953, Muhammed Musaddık'ın devrilmesi. O dönemde küçük bir kız çocuğuyken etrafında olup bitenleri nasıl algıladı, ne gördü, ne hissetti acaba? Sanki hala masallar dinlediği bir dönemde şahit olduğu kanlı olayları o masallarla birleştirmiş ve ortaya bu güçlü metni çıkarmış gibi.

Birbirinden bağımsız kadın öyküleri gibi başlayan anlatı, sonlara doğru bu kadınların aynı evde bir araya gelmesi ve hayatlarının birbirine eklemlenmesiyle birleşiyor. Bir fahişe, bir öğretmen, varlıklı bir ev kadını... Birbirine benzemeyen, bambaşka geçmişlere sahip bu kadınları devletin kadın bedeni üzerinde tahakküm kurma arzusu ve erkeklerin uyguladığı binbir farklı tür şiddet bir araya getiriyor aslında. Kentten uzakta bir bağ evinde bir araya gelip kendilerine bir hayat kuruyorlar.

Büyülü gerçekçiliğin coğrafyamıza uygunluğu meselesi yeni bir fikir değil şüphesiz, her fırsatta övdüğüm Alberto Ruy Sanchez eseri Mogador Beşlisi de aslında tam bunu yapıyordu malum, büyülü gerçekçiliği Ortadoğu'ya taşıyıp Latin Amerika değil Fas büyülerini kullanıyordu anlatısını kurarken. Ancak bu daha direkt, daha tipik bir büyülü gerçekçi metin ve nasıl yakışmış yerine, İran'ın kadim mitleriyle nasıl güzel harman olmuş bu teknik.

Delirip kendini toprağa dikmek suretiyle bir ağaç olan kadın; Mehdoht mesela... Ne muazzam yazılmış bir karakterdi ya! Kadınların her birinin öyküsü sarsıcı ve hepsini ağulu diliyle müthiş anlatmış Parsipur. Ancak keşke bu romanı 100 değil, 500 sayfa yazsaymış, şahane bir malzeme var elinde ama özellikle sonlara doğru atlı kovalar gibi hızlanıyor, hikaye genişleyeceği yerde daralıyor ve çat diye bitiyor metin. Bu ayarlanamamış tempo, romanın en büyük eksiklerinden biri bence.

Bu arada 1977'de İran'da hapse atılıp 4 sene yatmak zorunda kalan ve sonra ABD'ye yerleşen yazarımızın hayat öyküsü de ayrıca ilginç, bakmanızı öneririm. İran'da elbette ki yasaklanan bu kitap, 2009'da filme de uyarlananmış.

[Negar Afsharmanesh · Rating 5 out of 5]

کتاب زنان بدون مردان، از موفق ترین داستان های شهرنوش پارسی پور که در سال ۲۰۰۹ توسط شیرین نشاط به فیلم بلند تبدیل شد و تندیس شیر نقره‌ای بهترین کارگردانی جشنواره ونیز را برای او به ارمغان آورد. شهرنوش پارسی پور در این اثر داستان موازی چند زن را حکایت می کند که همگی در بازه زمانی برکناری مصدق و کودتای پس از ان روی می دهد. کتاب همچنین تصویری از دیدگاه و اندیشه جامعه ایران نسبت به زنان و دختران ارائه می دهد. سمبولیسم از ویژگی های این اثر است که زیبایی ان را دوچندان می کند.

[Jonas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love magical realism in novels. Women Without Men weaves reality and unreality in an effortless way. It is equally endearing as it is tragic. The novel shows many of the limits and injustices women are forced to endure living in Iran. Each chapter is titled and told through a different woman’s experiences. The women’s lives converge at a garden home. The author explores love, loneliness, marriage, heartache, enlightenment, and aspirations in the lives of her characters. Each character has an ending fitting to the way they lived their life. Women Without Men gave me the feeling of reading a folk tale. Will think of this one often.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read - still a wonderful book

For the past few years, I have traveled to Washington DC and stayed a few days just to visit the museums. Plus, I live in Philly, so it’s like a two hour train trip. I’ve learned that the smaller Smithsonian tends to have the more interesting exhibits. I discovered a love for Whistler’s etchings at the Freer, and at the Hirshorn, I discovered that I do like some modern art and video installations. It was at the Hirshorn last summer that I heard of this book.
Last summer, the museum had a major exhibit of Shirin Neshat’s work, and if you are like I was at the time, you are going who. She is Iranian and is known for her photography and videos. If the show is anywhere near you, I highly recommend you go. Neshat’s art is powerful and beautiful. At one point in the show, there was a clip and significant verbiage about Neshat’s film adaptation of this novel. The book itself was not in the bookstore, so when I finally sat down to read it, it was with so trepidation that it would not live up to the hype in my head.
It does.
When one reads Women without Men, it is easy to understand why Parsipur is living in exile. It is a feminist book that will anger many conservatives, in particular conservative men in power, angry. Yet, for all the short space that it inhibits it is a work of sheer brilliance. I cannot thank Neshat and the Hirshorn enough for introducing me to this book.
Women Without Men, despite its title, does in fact have men in it, and not all the men are bad. To call the book anti-male would be incorrect. Parsipur relates the lives of different women from different levels of society who came together briefly in a garden before going their separate ways. Each of the women, from the prostitute to the high society wife, has been constricted in some way by society. One of the brilliant aspects of the novel is that not all the women are likable.
Perhaps the most accessible, and most challenging to power structure, is Munis who changes the most and becomes one of the fulcrums that the other women turn around (Mahdokht is the other. It is no surprise that these two women go though the most and the least changes). Her reaction upon learning something is just so human, even in this tale of magical realism. What happens to Munis and her eventual fate in many ways is the heart of the novel (and no surprise that part of the arc was the clip from the film shown in the Neshat exhibit). The fates of the women are in part dictated by the society in which they live as well as the roles forced upon them by that society. In many ways, the book references the Garden of Eden, but almost as a place of renewal and peace.
It’s a beautiful novel.

[Marcus (Lit_Laugh_Luv) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read #3 of the 2026 International Booker Prize

This is an odd choice to make the International Booker Longlist this year. That's not to say I disagree with the inclusion of it, but it was originally published in 1989, and Faridoun Farrokh's translation has been available in North America since 2012. It's 'only' eligible since it's been recently released in the UK for the first time, though there's been no changes to the contents beyond the foreword and afterword. I have no qualms with the prize spotlighting older titles, but it does seem like a niche pick, given that it is not newly available to English readers, nor has the translator changed.

When I think of the International Booker Prize, I think it's intended to celebrate two distinct categories of books: first, the books that stand on their own and get accolades based on their literary merit. The second are books that have an enduring cultural legacy (which may or may not overlap with the first category), which is where I'd classify Women Without Men. Considering the time and culture in which it was released, it was subversive and highlighted the disparate experiences of women in Tehran. The book was banned, the author was jailed, but it remained an important cornerstone of feminist literature.

Unfortunately, I found learning about the author and the legacy of this book's publication more interesting than the actual contents. I can appreciate how subversive and revolutionary this was while also recognizing that, at least from the lens of a North American in 2026, the commentary on feminism feels very rudimentary. The characters are all quite one-dimensional and petulant, and five protagonists were too much for the short page count. I felt repeatedly thrown into the thick of things without the requisite buildup. I look to translated literature to dive into cultures beyond my own experiences, and I don't think this transports the reader to the requisite time and place as much as required. The magical realism was intriguing as a concept, but in execution, it felt weirdly satirical in a book that deals with heavy subjects. Maybe the levity was the point?

Overall, I don't think this is a bad book -- just not a book for me. It hadn't been on nearly anyone's radar before the longlist announcement, so being surprised is nice, but when I think of the pantheon of translated literature released in the last year, I'm not sure I'd consider this one of the 13 go-to picks. Perhaps it will make more sense in the context of the other books in the longlist?

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[Flo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can see why this is a modern classic in the region. Thirty-five years after the original publication, little has changed for the women of Iran. It is easy to appreciate the courage and the raw truths about violence against women, shown with a magical touch. The end isn't as compelling as the start, maybe because it's easier to show the problem than imagine the solution.

Still, I think it is a mistake to include this in the International Booker longlist, and unfair to the other authors and translators. This should remain an award only for first translations.

[Kirstine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shahrnush Parsipur was - is - persecuted in Iran, where she’s from, for this book (among other things). Partly because she dares talk about, you know, sex, virginity, female sexuality. Topics that are not to be mentioned ever.

‘Women Without Men’ does reference the title of the Hemingway work ‘Men Without Women’. I haven’t read the latter, but in the afterword to this book, it says it’s a book where ultimately a life without women isn't particularly satisfying. The same (but in reverse) is the case of ‘Women Without Men’, in a way.

It consists of five stories of five vastly different women, who nonetheless have a lot in common. They’re all confined by their family and society to a very narrow way of life. They all have very little freedom of movement or thought, and each strive, in their own way, to break their captivity and be free to pursue a different way of life.

The separate storylines converge in the end and the women meet at a single house they help build and maintain together. In the house there’s also a gardener (incidentally a man, but of the somewhat invisible kind), who tends the garden where one of the women has planted herself in an attempt to become a tree.

It’s a mixture of harsh reality and magical-realism. The magical elements present themselves without much ado and add depth and great character to the novel. The odd, fantastical elements are very poignant and quite stunning.

The house they all live in and the life they share together may seem utopic, but it’s not the case at all. Having escaped the confines of their former position, whatever it was, and the men and norms that kept them trapped, they work steadily towards a new way of life. However, it’s not a life in female isolation; the solution is not an all-woman utopia.

What these women need, what Parsipur tries to convey, is that they need this utopian space to learn to be free. It’s not the final stop. It’s where they unlearn all the restrictions that’s been put on them, and reflect on what they desire to get out of life.

For some it means transcending the human body, to transform into nature and start anew, to some it means returning to life almost as it was before, but all of them with a new spiritual freedom. It’s not, in the end, a feasible project to live without men, nor is it possible. Women without men is rather women without the narrow idea of what a woman can and should be, an empty place she can shape as her own, where she can find herself.

It’s an odd novel, because it moves in so many ways, and the ending may seem somewhat disappointing or anticlimactic, but there’s a strength to it, an insistence that women are allowed to become their own people, to talk about sex and virginity and politics. Each character present a different story, each needing the same and separate things, each getting their own ending, and the result is a complex, strange and wondrous novel.

It’s very different from the video installating – the art piece based on the book – that I’ve seen. In the videos the women never meet, each story remains separate, and there are alterations to each of them, but both novel and film are very powerful means of telling such a story. I recommend the book, but I also recommend the art installation, should you ever come across it. It’s a lot harsher, but very rewarding.

Original review:

Holy shit.

I've seen the film(s) based on this book. It was an art installation at Aros, the museum in my city (Aarhus Museum of Art). I had no idea it was a book first.
I thought the title sounded familiar and this is why. It was an incredibly moving experience to see it. The different stories were split onto three huge screens in a dark, black room, so you got to watch them in random order. They were harsh, but beautiful. I hope it's still there.

[Jolanta (knygupė) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nedidukas romanas parašytas Irano rašytojos 1973-iais. 2025-ais buvo išleistas britų leidyklos ir šiemet pateko į International Booker Prize ilgąjį sąrašą.
Magiškas realizmas, kurį aš mėgstu, čia visame gražume. Pasakojimos keturių moterų (gyvų ir atgimusių) skaudžios, net tragiškos istorijos pasaulyje kur "women belongs in the house. The outside is the world of men." Autorė pateko į kalėjimą už šią knygą, o pati knyga yra uždrausta Irane. Joje daug apie klaikią moterers kontrolę, bet man dar stipriai pasigirdo ir autorės kvietimas moteris solidarizuotis.
Beje, yra ir filmas pagal šią knygą. Režisierė Shirin Neshat 2009 Venecijos kino Festivalyje laimėjo Silver Lion už režisūrą. Gal kas matėt?

3,8* - nes užkliuvau pačioje pabaigoje.

[Fionnuala]

This reminded me of Herta Muller's writing - the same sense of the truth being hidden inside layers of allegory - not surprising since they are both writing out of a culture of censorship and oppression. However, I found Parsipur's allegories easier to understand.

[Stacia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parsipur is brave enough to poke the bear with her writings. The author was imprisoned for multiple years (now living in exile for years) & this book has been banned in Iran for decades. There's emotional, social, & moral heft in that knowledge. We need to be brave enough to read & grapple with her messages to us.

While there is magical realism, it feels more allegorical than anything else to me. The female characters are based on real people/combinations of real people (according to the author's note), yet each has a bit of an "everywoman" feel to her. Parsipur takes an approach of letting her female characters be themselves, even in their sometimes unlikable glory, their pettiness, their misunderstandings, their choices. They're free to be themselves, not necessarily "dressed up" to make them attractive to a random reader of the book.

If I were more versed in Persian literary history as well as political & social history, I might have gained more from this novella. Still, I feel like I gained quite a bit. There's a scathingness interspersed with some rays of hope. But the dreams are not allowed completely free flight, ultimately still being hindered by the strictures of society, patriarchy, & religion. It's a powerful statement that carries a universality with it. I found it both difficult & rewarding.

[Renin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Şaheser!

Olaylar 1953’te geçiyor, Musaddık’ın devrildiği kaotik dönem romanın oturduğu toplumsal bağlam. Bu bağlama çok büyülü ve çok gerçekçi bir büyülü gerçekçilik ile mükemmel bir mizah eklemiş yazar ve birtakım kadınların (ve adamların) hayatını anlatmış.

Nerelere gitsek ne yapsak da bu kitabın Türkçeye çevrilmesini sağlasak?

[Yasmin M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

كتاب عجيبى بود. كتابى بود كه تشبيه و سمبليزم و جان بخشيدن به اشيا و... رو توى يك فضاى واقعى رها كرده بود، اما از اون عجيب تر كه تك تك جملاتش قابل باور بودند. انگار ما با نويسنده، شوخى و زبان رمزى خودمون رو داريم و اون كه بيان ميكنه، ما متوجه ميشيم و پنهانى لبخند ميزنيم، چون اين چيزيه فقط بين ما.
بيشترين مونولوگى كه توى فكر ميگذشت، در نيمه اول كتاب اين بود "چقدر خوشبختم كه توى اين عصر به دنيا اومدم. چه بدبخت بودند اون زن ها و دخترها. چه بدبخت بودند. چه از بدبختى خودشون راضى بودن ."
بقيه كتاب رو هم بلعيدم، چون خيلى ساده خوان و جالب بود.
احساس ميكنم با اين كتاب، فرصت نداشتم تا خوب متوجه بيان نويسنده بشم.
به هر حال جذاب بود.

[Rosemarie Björnsdottir Jørgensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most beautiful books I have ever read

[Leila Dehghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

کتاب من را به یاد قطعه ای از فروغ فرخزاد انداخت، چرا؟
بخوانید لذت ببرید شاید با من هم عقیده شدید

دست هایم را در باغچه می کارم
سبز خواهم شد
می دانم
می دانم
و پرستو ها در گودی انگشتان جوهریم
تخم خواهند گذاشت...

[Saman · Rating 2 out of 5]

لینک دانلود این کتاب را در گروه "دانلود کتاب‌های نایاب" گذاشته‌ام و دوستان می‌توانند به راحتی دانلودش کنند

[Adriana · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Caută întunericul, începutul, adâncurile. Când vei ajunge în adâncul adâncurilor, vei găsi lumina în toată strălucirea ei, în propriile mâini, alături de tine. Asta înseamnă să devii om."

[Kavita · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't claim to say I really understood anything in this book. Five women, whose lives intersect, are drawn together and crazy, crazy things happen to them.

Mahdokht is dissatisfied with her life and wants to do more with it. Then she catches the maid having sex with the gardener, which disgusts her. And then, she becomes a tree. The tree is fed with breast milk and finally burst into seeds and scatters.

Fai'za is slightly more sensible and remains human. But that's about it. She lusts after her friend's brother, Amir. Said brother kills friend and she helps him hush it up. In the end, she marries the brother and becomes his concubine.

Munis is Amir's sister. She dies and then returns to life and then is murdered by her brother. She then returns to life and can read people's minds. She becomes a whirlwind for seven years and finally becomes a schoolteacher.

Zarrinkolah is a prostitute who sees headless men everywhere. She marries the gardener and then glows with light and gives birth to a flower. Then she and the gardener go up in a puff of smoke.

Farrokhlaqa is the most understandable of all the characters. She becomes a widow, wants more out of life, tries her hand at different things and finally marries a powerful man and the two achieve things together.

Then, there is the gardener (a man) who helps these women.

Don't ask me what it all meant. I can only assume the author was on drugs. Can't even understand why this book got banned in the first place. Maybe they don't want women becoming trees or going up in smoke or whatever.

[Isadora Paiva · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess magical realism just isn't for me. Especially when I wasn't expecting it. I read this because I saw it in a list of feminist books written by women around the world, and since I'd never read something in this vein by an Iranian author (especially one who was improsined for writing this very work), I was looking forward to gaining some insight into Iranian culture through her eyes. The expectation for something more realist certainly didn't help, but even after I had readjusted my expectations, I couldn't bring myself to like it. The fantastic elements all felt so random, and the chracters have very little depth.

[Pakinam · Rating 2 out of 5]

“نساء بلا رجال” رواية للكاتبة الإيرانية شهرنوش بارسيبور، نُشرت عام ١٩٨٩ وتم منعها في إيران لسنوات طويلة، كما تحولت لاحقًا إلى فيلم عام ٢٠٠٩.

الكتاب عبارة عن مجموعة قصصية مترابطة إلى حد ما، تدور حول خمس شخصيات نسائية تعاني من القهر والحرمان، وتحاول كل منهن البحث عن الحرية بعيدًا عن القيود المفروضة عليهن فيجتمعن في بستان خارج طهران.

الرواية تحاول مناقشة قضايا المرأة في المجتمع الإيراني، لكن بالنسبة لي لم تكن ممتعة على الإطلاق. الأسلوب كان ممل وغير مشوق والترجمة مش أحسن حاجة ...
الكتاب فيه مزج مبالغ فيه بين الواقع والخيال خلاني أفقد الاهتمام بالقصة كلها..
ممكن يعجب بعض القُراء بس بالنسبة لي معجبنيش أبداً...

[zep · Rating 4 out of 5]

okurken cok keyif aldım, ortadoğuyla ilgili baska kitaplar da okumak istiyorum kitaptaki metaforik ögeler cok iyiydi, bir de ufak bir elestirim olacak; kadın korkunc bir donemde böyle cesur bir kitap yazıyor ve sınır disi ediliyor (4sene hapis yatmis) hala gelip yok feminizm cart curt meselesi yapmak bana cok komik geliyor biraz hayatın gerceklerine dönmek lazım

[محمد شکری · Rating 2 out of 5]

کتاب داستان چندزن است که هریک از رذیلتی مردانه که به آنها تحمیل شده دور می شوند و سرنوشتشان بهم پیوند میخورد: شهوت (مهدخت و زرین کلاه)، تمسخر و تحقیر(فرخ لقا)، غیرت (مونس) و بیمهری (فائزه) ر

پارسی پور در این کتاب برای زنان نسخه می پیچد: «میلیون ها آدم در آب غرق شده اند تا اولین آدم شنا کردن را بیاموزد» (ص43) ... اما جدا از اینکه روش این نسخه پیچی درست است یا نه (چیزی که زن ها باید درمورد آن نظر دهند) بنظرم فرم (داستان و نثر بی مزه آن) و محتوای نسخه (اینکه بکارت را بزرگترین مسئله زن ایرانی گرفته) اصلا جالب نیست
وقتی داستان مونس را میخواندم تقریبا مطمئن شدم که کتاب را اشتباه دانلود کرده ام و این متن بی مزه نمیتواند رمان پارسی پور باشد یا حتی شاید این نسخه تقلبی را گذاشته اند تا او را بدنام کنند!... تا اینکه به داستان زرین کلاه رسیدم و از آنجا که در مستند پارسی پور نقلی از برهنه نماز خواندن زرین کلاه در حمام شنیده بودم با تعجب پذیرفتم همین کتاب است
احمقانه ترین کاری که وزارت ارشاد آخوندی ما می توانست بکند (و کرد) این بود که این کتاب را لغو مجوز کند!ر

من دوست ندارم زور بزنم تا کتابی را عمیق بیابم
اینکه مرگ و تولد و مرگ و تولد دوباره مونس نشان دهنده پایمردی زنان است؛
اینکه زرین کلاه مرد ها را بی سر می بیند و این نشان دهنده روی کار آمدن شعبان «بی مخ» هاست (دقت کنید که داستان سال 32 اتفاق می افتد)؛
اینکه مسخرگی داستان مونس اشاره به مسخرگی «سینمای قیصر و زن کش ایرانی» دارد؛
اینها را می توان براحتی با خواندن داستان یا حداقل نقدهای آن فهمید... اما این چیزی از ناچیز بودن کتاب کم نمی کند: بهرحال هنر داستان باید تاثیرگذاری (هم) باشد
نمیتوان یک اسم «رئالیسم جادویی» روی اثر گذاشت و هر کنش و واکنش و ربط و رابطه بی معنی (به قول دوستان «باسمه ای»!) در آن چپاند

داستان برداشتی کامل از شعر «وهم سبز» فروغ است (و البته جایی اشارتی به آن هم دارد)... اما آنهایی که هم «وهم سبز» را خوانده اند و هم «زنان بدون مردان» را فکر کنم انصاف بدهند که فروغ خیلی بهتر، تاثیرگذارتر و مجمل تر حرف کتاب را زده است

الان ازین ناراحتم که «زنان بدون مردان» را قبل از «سگ و زمستان بلند» خواندم و این را تقصیر کسی می دانم که دومی را برایم نیاورد!ر

[City ReadersMag · Rating 5 out of 5]

İran edebiyatı ile tanışmam karantina zamanı Gergedan Kitabevi’nin Fatma Burçak ile İran Edebiyatı okumaları atölyesi ile olmuştu. Neden diğer ülke edebiyatlarından daha çok etkiledi beni diye üzerine düşündüğümü hatırlıyorum. O zamandan beridir de İran Edebiyatından çeviri kitapları bulunca alıp okumaya çalışırım.

Bu kitap ile yolumun kesişmesi tesadüfen oldu aslında, tıpkı kitaptaki Faize, Mehdoht, Munis, Ferruhlikâ ve Zerrinkülah karakterlerinin de şans eseri Tahran'ın eteklerindeki Kerec’de yemyeşil bir bahçede kesişen yolları gibi. Bu kısacık kitap, farklı hayatlardan gelen beş kadının hikayelerinin yanı sıra, okuru da toplumsal cinsiyet, şiddet, ahlak ve bekaret gibi konular üstüne düşünmeye itiyor. Ayrıca 1989'da yayımlandığında toplumun ahlak kurallarına uygun olmayan bekaret söylemleri gibi nedenlerle İran’da yasaklanmış.

İran edebiyatına büyülü gerçekçiliğin çok yakıştığını ve kitabın kapağını da çok beğendiğimi de ekleyerek bitiriyorum. Kitapla ilgili tek eleştirim çok hızlı bir şekilde konunun toparlanıp sonlanması. Bağ evindeki hayatlarına dair daha fazla okumayı isterdim. Küçük bir bilgi daha, 2009 yılında kitabımız aynı isimle de filme uyarlanmış.
Bence siz de okumak için bir şans verin.
https://www.instagram.com/cityreadersmag

[Masih Reyhani · Rating 5 out of 5]

زجر روانم بود که این چنین مرا شطح خوان کرد...
هر بار که کتابی با موضوع زنان (خاصه در خاورمیانه) می‌خوانم، روانم آزرده می‌شود... بار سنگین هرزواژه‌هایی چون غیرت، ناموس و آبرو قامتم را خمیده می‌کند. چه زنانی که در طول قرن‌ها و صد افسوس که اکنون حتی؛ جان‌شان را پای چنین مهملاتی از دست داده‌اند.

کتاب به صورت موازی، زندگی معمولِ چند زن ایرانی را روایت می‌کند که در حوالی کودتای ۲۸ مرداد زندگی می‌کنند و به قول مونس: «تصمیم گرفته‌اند خودشان را از شر زندان خانواده نجات دهند».

به افسانه‌ی پرده بکارت هم در این کتاب پرداخته شده است که با توجه به زمان نگارش داستان، برایم جالب و حائز اهمیت بود.

آنجا که فائزه به امیرخان می‌گوید: «دختری که یک‌ماه گم بشود، یعنی مرده. دختر که از این کارها نمی‌کند.»؛ گریستم.
آنجا که فائزه برای «باکره نبودنش(!)» می‌گریست؛ گریستم.
برای حال فرخ‌لقا در دوران یائسگی؛ گریستم.
و برای مهدخت که درختی شده بود؛ گریستم.

و به یاد لبخندِ زیبایِ «مونا حیدری»؛ گریستم...