Religious Misogyny Personified in Ali Abbasi’s Holy Spider
Bavand Karim reviews the film "Holy Spider" by Ali Abbassi which coldly deconstructs the brutal nature of Iran’s religious patriarchy.
Iran
“The Waiting Bones”—an essay by Maryam Haidari
As this writer from Khuzestan remembers, the long Iran-Iraq war left many traces, names and ghosts in its eight-year wake.
First Kurdish Sci-Fi Collection is Rooted in the Past
Matt Broomfield reviews the first anthology of Kurdish science fiction, one that envisions new possibilities for Kurdish self-determination.
Bahar: 22 years in the Life of a Compulsory Hijabi in Teheran
Joumana Haddad tells the true story of a young Iranian woman in Tehran, albeit vehicled by fiction.
Iranian Women Photographers: Life, Freedom, Music, Art & Hair
Malu Halasa reviews the latest book on Iranian women photographers by Anahita Ghabaian Etehadieh alongside two new books in a similar vein.
October 7 and the First Days of the War
Post Oct. 7, Robin Yassin-Kassab assesses the West’s falsehoods and the challenges facing the Palestinians, the Israelis and the wider Middle East.
Reza Aslan’s An American Martyr in Persia Argues for US-Iranian Friendship
Dalia Sofer reviews Reza Aslan's latest book on American Howard Baskerville, "martyred" alongside revolutionary students in Iran in 1909.
Special World Picks Sept 15-26 on TMR’s Third Anniversary
TMR publishes World Picks special edition on its third anniversary, including events from Sept. 15-26, 2023.
A Day in the Life with Forugh Farrokhzad (and a Tortoise)
A woman's sexual ruminations kindles memories of her conservative upbringing in Iran and a longing for the liberating poetry of Forugh Farrokhzad.
Can the Kurdish Women’s Movement Transform the Middle East?
Matthew Broomfield reviews a book on the Kurdish women's movement, which challenges hierarchical, patriarchal society.
Arrival in the Dark—fiction from Alireza Iranmehr
Away from prying eyes, two lonely people pass time together under the state of emergency that has become Iran.
“Here, Freedom”—fiction from Danial Haghighi
A small town couple have a brutally honest conversation about marriage in light of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests.
Zahhāk: An Etiology of Evil
Omid Arabian recounts the legend of the serpent king from Ferdowsi's epic "Shāhnameh," exploring human psychology and the roots of tyranny.
“The Long Walk of the Martyr”—fiction from Salar Abdoh
In Salar Abdoh’s new short story, Iranian militias return from war to a life and country to which they have difficulty adjusting.
Iran on the Move—Photos by Peyman Hooshmandzadeh
Emerging from Covid, a prominent Iranian photographer documents the working-class as the country reels under sanctions.