A world between : poems, short stories, and essays by Iranian-Americans / edited by Persis M. Karim and Mohammad Mehdi Khorrami.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Karim, Persis M.

Khorrami, Mohammad Mehdi.

Gotham Book Mart Collection (University of Pennsylvania)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

American literature--Iranian American authors.

American literature.

Iranian Americans--Literary collections.

Iranian Americans.

American literature--20th century.

Genre:

Literary collections.

Penn Provenance:

Gotham Book Mart (former owner) (Gotham Book Mart Collection copy)

Physical Description:

286 pages ; 23 cm

Edition:

First paperback edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : George Braziller, 1999.

Summary:

This passionate collection of poems, stories, and essays is the first published anthology of writings by Iranian immigrants and first generation Iranian-Americans. Wide-ranging and deeply personal, these pieces explore the Iranian community's continuing struggle to understand what it means to be Iranian in America.

Exiles and refugees of the 1979 Iranian revolution that toppled the Shah, and immigrants that left their homeland for non-political reasons, the Iranian-American community in the United States today numbers over one million. The writings included here reflect the many perspectives and experiences of this diverse group that includes Jews, Armenians, Kurds, Muslims, Christians, and Baha'is. The contributors' experiences and personal sensibilities come together to present a rich, humanizing portrait of a community Americans tend to view negatively. Many of the selections are intimate reflections on the pain of being alienated from the language, history, and geography of one's childhood and fondest memories. Other pieces grapple with the complexities and ambiguities of cultural and personal identity, particularly for first generations Iranian-Americans.

Having re-established their lives here, Iranian-Americans, like any other immigrant community, must face the ongoing negotiation between past and present, their native home and their adopted home. A World Between gives voice to their unique and moving stories.

ISBN:

0807614432

0807614459

OCLC:

40543024