زنان بدون مردان

by شهرنوش پارسی‌پور

داستان پنج زن در سنین مختلف و از طبقات مختلف اجتماعی ایرانِ دهه ۱۳۳۰ خورشیدی که در تلاش برای رهایی از قید و بندهای آزار دهنده جامعه، مسیر زندگی، همه آنها را به باغی در کرج می‌رساند.

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

140 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1973

About the author

(Shahrnush Parsipur)

Reviews

[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?"

[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 خاک 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>

[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!

[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 ا��دیشه جامعه ایران نسبت به زنان و دختران ارائه می دهد. سمبولیسم از ویژگی های این اثر است که زیبایی ان را دوچندان می کند.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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

[Rosemarie Björnsdottir Jørgensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most beautiful books I have ever read

[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.

[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."

[Pakinam Mahmoud · 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...

[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.

[Haifa · Rating 5 out of 5]

تتقاطع حياة خمس نساء في احد بساتين كراج من خمسينات القرن الماضي في إيران
تستقر بهن الحال في هذا البستان و يحاولن إصلاح ماافسده عالم الذكورية فيهن
تتفرق بهن سبل الحياة فتختار كل واحدة منهن مصيرها المستقل
الرواية جميلة جدا وتعتبر صرخة في وجه التسلط الذكوري وسوء احكام وقرارات المجتمع الذي يهتم بالطقوس الدينية الشكلية بينما داخله عفن تتقاسم احكامه الأهواء والشهوات فلا دور لدين الا في العبادات
فتجد هناك المومس التي تصلي وتزور قبور الصالحين ثم تذهب لمزاولة مهنتها البغاء
وهناك من تشترك في جريمة اعز صديقاتها كي تتزوج من اخ هذه الصديقة بعدما اتهم اخته في شرفها
احداث الرواية صاغتها الكاتبة بشكل بسيط وسلس وكأنه من حكايا الأساطير

[Loredana (Bookinista08) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ori mi-au scăpat mie scopul și frumusețea acestei cărți, ori ele chiar nu există. Da, am citit-o repede, dar m-a lăsat complet rece... O fi având teme și simboluri legate de cultura persană și de asta nu am prins eu „șpilul”. Realul se amestecă cu magicul, dar ceea ce în alte cărți m-a fermecat, aici m-a lăsat cam straight face. În fine... e și asta o carte bifată pe listă. :))

[Nariman · Rating 3 out of 5]

یک سری داستان که عموما حول پرده بکارت زنان می چرخه، یه رگه هایی از رئالیسم جادویی توش بود اما واقعیت و خیال اون چنان در هم تنیده نبود و می شد مرز بینشون رو قشنگ مشاهده کرد.کم حجم و روونه داستان و زیاد وقتی ازتون نمی گیره خوندنش.

[Nora Khalid · Rating 5 out of 5]

من نوع الروايات التي تصيبك برعشة جسدية عند الانتهاء من قرائتها. سبق لي أن شاهدت فيلمًا قبل سنوات مستوحى من هذه الرواية ولكنّي لم أنتبه لتلك النقطة إلا بعد أن انتصفت بها.
كان فيلمًا نسويا رائعا بلا شك. وكذاك رواية عظيمة لن تتقادم بمرور الزمن.

[Zeynep T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Women Without Men, whose author Shahrnush Parsipur is a strong contender for the Nobel Prize in Literature, was introduced to me by a friend whom I follow fondly on Goodreads. According to the blurb, Shahrnush Parsipur was arrested and imprisoned in her native Iran shortly after the 1989 publication of Women Without Men for her candid and defiant portrayal of women's sexuality. The book is now banned in Iran.

We follow five women as they try to break free from the confines imposed by repressive social rules, their families, and the chaotic political situation in this book. The story takes place mostly during the 1953 Iranian coup d'état, known in Iran as the 28 Morda coup d'état, but the author also uses flashbacks.

I was pleased to read a story about women in modern Iran written by a woman. The book was successful in depicting the issues that women face. However, I believe the magical realism element of the story was unsuccessful.

When I was discussing references, symbols, and other elements in this book with my sister, she did some research on my behalf. As expected, some of the references are deeply rooted in Iranian culture and literature. "Morning Glory," for example, represents virginity, which makes perfect sense in the context of the story. Perhaps I would have liked the book more if some details had been explained in the footnotes.

Nonetheless, I am pleased to be acquainted with Shahrnush Parsipur's works. I want to keep reading her books. Mrs. Parsipur's writing, in my opinion, would be an excellent introduction to modern Iranian literature for readers looking to broaden their reading horizons.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really wild novel, unlike any you'll ever read. Parsipur was banned in her native Iran; last I knew she was living in the States (she's taught at Brown U.). Parsipur deals with the limited choices women have in Iran, the violence they face for being raped, rebellious, for breaking even in small ways with the constrictive norm. The novella cannot of course take these issues head-on and so does so in a wildly imaginative way. Parsipur's women find their own haven--one woman becomes a tree--with a gardener as the only male on the grounds. The novella is what we term in the west 'magical realism,' as if the great Latin American writers own it or invented it...but of course such imaginative flights from so-called reality have long existed in non-western literature and in fact can be a necessity as a form of expression in repressive, censored societies. The great Iranian filmmaker, Shirin Neshat (I hope I have her name right), has made the novel into a film, with mixed results (from what I've read; I've not yet seen it).

[Shervin R · Rating 5 out of 5]

مجموعه چند داستان کوتاه پیوسته در مورد زندگی چند زن در بحبوحه کودتای ۲۸ مرداد.
مدت ها بود داستان ایرونی به این خوبی نخونده بودم. بدون شک این کتاب بسیار خاصیه از این جهت کمتر کتابی هست که همه شخصیت های
اصلی اون زن باشند و محوریت اصلی داستان دغدغه زنان باشه.

[Asma · Rating 1 out of 5]

خسارة الفلوس الي اندفعت لشراء الرواية