Satan's Stones [Hardcover]

Moniru Ravanipur (Author), Muniru Ravani'pur (Author), M. R. Ghanoonparvar (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1996 | ISBN-10: 0292770758 | ISBN-13: 978-0292770751 | Edition: 1st

Women writers occupy the most prominent positions in contemporary Iranian literature, despite the increased legal and cultural restrictions placed upon women since the 1978-1979 Islamic Revolution. One of these writers is Moniru Ravanipur, author of critically acclaimed novels and short story collections including The Drowned and Heart of Steel. Satan's Stones is the first English translation of her 1991 short story collection Sangha-ye Sheytan. Often set in the remote regions of Iran, these stories explore many facets of contemporary Iranian life, particularly the ever-shifting relations between women and men. Their bold literary experimentation marks a new style in Persian fiction akin to "magical realism." Recent reports from Iran indicate that Satan's Stones has been banned there by government authorities. While its frank explorations of Iranian society may have offended Islamic leaders, they offer Western readers fresh perspectives on Iranian culture from one of the country's most distinguished writers.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

These stories set in rural Iranian towns are most interesting for their settings and the details of the daily existence of Iranian women. A slim introduction by M.R. Ghanoonparvar concentrates on the importance of the author and where she fits in the spectrum of Iranian writing and explains that Ravanipur's own hometown--a fishing village on the Persian Gulf--was immortalized in her early books before being swallowed by encroaching modernization. In the title story, a woman returns to a village set in the desert with Satan's stones nearby. "No one knew in what distant time or with what enormous power Satan had thrown them into the desert." The narrator of "Love's Tragic Tale" is racing to get down the story of her romantic advances and hoping not to find herself in trouble. In a collective voice, a group of poets claims "We Only Fear the Future" and keeps obsessive watch over a female artist. A woman on a ski vacation thinks of her son, "Haros" (which means "hero" in Armenian), and returns to a town engulfed in war. "Another Version" of a woman's life refers to her throughout as "the newborn": e.g., "The newborn, apparently after finishing the bachelor's degree, reached the doctoral stage." Simple translations accentuate Ravanipur's spare style.

Copyright 1996 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review

The short story collection Satan's Stones (Sangha-ye Shaytan), like Moniru Ravanipur's other works, explores women's issues through an unusual combination of unabashed, compelling narrative and insight into men-women relationships... The translation and publication of this book into English contributes not only to the introduction of Ravanipur's work to English readers, but also to the further elucidation of issues related to the status of women in todayls Iran." MESA Bulletin "I like to point out to interested students whose reading is confined to English that there is much more contemporary Persian writing available to them than they realize. Satan's Stones is a significant contribution to this body of new writing... Ravanipur is a major writer." Michael Beard, Department of English, University of North Dakota --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 93 pages
• Publisher: University of Texas Press; 1st edition (January 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0292770758
• ISBN-13: 978-0292770751
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,986,426 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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