* Kaveh Bassiri *
The recent trying political events in the Middle East are so dark and troubling that I lost the elation of Arab Spring and went in search of moral and ethical grounds — a vista where I can look at what is happening from a clear vantage point.
On Transformative Compassion Read More »
* Kaveh Bassiri *
Like many great works of modernist literature, these texts were new, self-conscious, and critical, though the Persian works seem to be darker and more scathing. Yet what is most unusual about these books is that they were mainly written and published in other countries. In other words, key foundational works of modern Iranian literature was born elsewhere.
Iranian Literature Born in Exile Read More »
* Kaveh Bassiri *
Team Melli, Iran’s national football team is playing in the World Cup, despite the adversity brought by sanctions, and it is presenting a unique picture of the country. The players come from all over Iran, from cities such as Tehran, Ahvaz, Mashad, Shiraz, Esfahan, Ardabil, and Kermanshah and from regions as far north as Bandar-e Anzali by the Caspian Sea and as far south as Bushehr by the Persian Gulf.
Team Melli and the Iranian Identity Read More »
* Kaveh Bassiri *
I was surprised by the number and quality of the different works, as well as how often these books could be used as teaching tools. The Middle East, with its mythic and socio-political significance, has become a great source of inspiration for many important graphic novelists. The Middle East, with its mythic and socio-political significance, has become a great source of inspiration for many important graphic novelists.
The Middle East through Graphic Novels Read More »
* Kaveh Bassiri *
“The most disgusting film I ever made.”
Rainer Werner Fassbinder on Why Does Herr R. Run Amok?
When I was an undergrad at Santa Clara University, I took buses to San Francisco to see foreign movies. I remember rushing into a double-bill of Rainer Werner Fassbinder films. During the first movie, Why Does Herr R. Run Amok? (1970), I had to go to bathroom. I thought nothing important is going to happen, so I went.
When the Ordinary Becomes Extraordinary Read More »
* Kaveh Bassiri *
There are two main models of extending love beyond the narrow confines of marriage and family. One is the mystical and the other communal. And the movie Her touches on both of these options.
Going Beyond the Bourgeois Love Read More »
* Kaveh Bassiri *
Do parents choose names in search of their children? My father wasn’t a poet, but he chose sound over meaning. He named his second son Kavoos, an unjust king in Shahnameh, and ended up naming his other sons with Persian words beginning with “ka.”
“Many of us feel that our experience of being bicultural, tricultural, or simply growing up between continents and cultures has given us a kind of double-vision. I think of this as being a kind of third eye in which to see others, and in particular to see ‘otherness.'”
Tremors of Iranian American Writing Read More »
* Kaveh Bassiri *
Over the last few weeks, I have been following the social media posts of Iran’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Javad Zarif. Much has been written on the vital role of social networking during the Iranian Green Movement — how it helped to organize people and disseminate information. The Green Movement was even called the first Twitter or Facebook revolution. In the aftermath, Iran banned these sites, which probably reinforced their importance. I don’t want to rehash what others have already said — the role of social media in Iranian politics has been exaggerated — but I am interested in the innovative and progressive ways Zarif has been able to turn these banned tools into a resource for the government. What seemed to be a revolutionary venue outside of the regime may be re-purposed into a pathway for reform from the inside. Reading Zarif’s Facebook page lets you know more about the Iranian people than any article in an American or Iranian newspaper. It is like eavesdropping on conversations in cafes and streets. As this conversation unfolds in Persian, allow me to translate it for you.
Facebook’s Most Popular Iranian Friend Read More »
