On April 4th, the Alan Cheuse International Writers Center welcomed New York Times best-selling author of Reading Lolita in Tehran Azar Nafisi for its first annual public Busboys and Poets lecture. This year, the Busboys and Poets lecture, a series of lectures that cover literature, culture, and global affairs—named after its sponsor—amassed 150 attendees. The event included a speech from Azar Nafisi followed by journalist Jacki Lyden interviewing the acclaimed author and a book signing, hosted in a reception framed by the work of Mojdeh Rezaeipour. Rezaeipour is an Iranian-born Northern Virginia artist. In her lecture, Nafisi discussed women’s rights in Iran, touching on the two countries she calls home and how totalitarianism in one country and totalitarian tendencies in another should be confronted through imagination and ideas, encouraging the audience to remember that discomfort is necessary for change.
“Dr. Nafisi launched the new public lecture series for the Cheuse Center with the ideal remarks for our times. She warned against the dangers of authoritarianism. She advocated for the rights of women. She encouraged her listeners toward political mindfulness and a richer awareness of their world” said Bill Miller, Chair of the Alan Cheuse Center Board, reflecting on Nafisi’s speech.
Miller added, “In doing these things, she reminded her audience of their responsibilities in a democratic society, to each other and to themselves. She spoke as she writes, mixing her experience and observations of the world with carefully thought-out evaluative comments about published works, drawing on her years as a reader and teacher.”
Following the lecture, Jacki Lyden interviewed Nafisi about her experiences both as a writer and teacher and then took questions from the audience.
“When I first met and wrote about Azar Nafisi for NPR, she was teaching at a university in Tehran-- and she was magnificent in advocating for the power of imagination through classic works of literature, like Lewis Caroll and Franz Kafka,” said Lyden. “That was in 1995. All these years on, she has only become more of a beacon for the democratic ideals of literature, and we at Cheuse are honored to have her as our ambassador for literature's humanizing power."
An esteemed author of six books, Azar Nafisi has long been hailed for her appreciation of human values, cultural awareness, political reportage, and literary studies. For the audience, her lecture not only reflected her adeptness in these arenas, but encouraged listeners to value empathy, imagination, and a willingness to dream.
“Though we called it a ‘lecture,’ I don’t think it ever felt like she was lecturing so much as sharing, primarily her insights from the life she has led,” said Bill Miller.
This free public lecture was made possible by Busboys & Poets, the beloved local independent bookstore chain in the D.C. metro area founded by owner Andy Shallal.
The Alan Cheuse International Writers Center, founded in 2016, helps international writers and translators gain broader American audiences and provides fellowships to George Mason University students for international travel. The center’s long-range goals include becoming a vibrant literary institution enriching the artistic and intellectual communities of George Mason University and the Washington metropolitan region, linking them with literary organizations around the globe.
April 28, 2023