Things I was silent about, memories

A brief about the book "Things I Kept Silent About" Memories In her second book "Things I Kept Silent About" (Memories), Azar Nafisi records for us other events from this life she lived, in a broader way, meaning she goes back in memory to a long time before the revolution, through her family’s biography, which advances in life along with the changes her country experienced. But the first thing that catches our attention is that her perspective does not present anything new about Iran today, just as the author herself states in the first pages of the book: "I do not mean for this book to be a political or social commentary, or a useful life story. I want to tell the story of a family unfolding against the backdrop of a turbulent era in Iran’s political and cultural history." From here, the book primarily stems from her personal memory. Perhaps the essence of what the author aims for lies here, as she finds she does not want to write a book that tells us things about Iran, nor does she have any inclination to politicize things; rather, all she aims for is that we read her as a writer. So, we are faced with a large picture, in these memories a personal one, heavily tinged with a romantic tone, if one may say, reminding us of the spirit of Anna Karenina, especially the first sentence in the book: "Most men deceive their wives to have mistresses. But my father deceived my mother to enjoy a happy family life." A telling sentence from the start, indicating the style the author adopts when talking about her family. Through this biography, we must pass by countries that are no longer what they used to be. Perhaps the importance of the book lies in this point, when we try to compare two times and two atmospheres, especially since talking about family news with all its "deviations" is not a favored thing in Iranian culture, as is said.