Iranian author Azar Nafisi warns: 'Totalitarian mindsets can exist anywhere'

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Our guest today symbolizes the power of literature which she captures in her internationally acclaimed memoir, “Reading Lolita in Tehran”. Through her powerful storytelling, she invites readers to embark on a journey to discover Iran beyond clichés. All her work explores themes of censorship, identity, struggle for individuality, shedding light on the experiences of women in Iran and their quest for freedom. In 1981, Nafisi was expelled from teaching at the University of Tehran for refusing to wear the Islamic veil and eventually left Iran for the US in 1997. She's been speaking to FRANCE 24's Fatimata Wane at the Taormina book festival in Italy, where she was given an award.