CITY OF LIES: LOVE, SEX, DEATH AND THE SEARCH FOR TRUTH IN TEHRAN PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Ramita Navai | 320 pages | 11 Jun 2015 | Orion Publishing Co | 9781780225128 | English | London, United Kingdom City of Lies: Love, Sex, Death and the Search for Truth in Tehran PDF Book Survival there depends on dodging the fatwas of Iran's medieval theocratic regime. Navai slips effortlessly into the boots of earthy, urban writer to tour Tehran's ripped backsides in this intimate, grand guignol debut. It's a bit like Guy Fawkes night, in England. Navai paints an intimate portrait of those discreet recesses in a city where the difference between modesty and profanity, loyalty and betrayal, honor and disgrace is often no more than the believability of a lie. If you have a problem, or a moral question, you can look them up. I didn't write them to shock. It's a microcosm of the city. And the lies that are necessary to lead a life that is more in keeping with one's own ideas and has less in common with those of the nation's rulers, without coming to the attention of religious leaders, the morality police or the intelligence agency. It is an instrument of power or a way of rebelling — and in addition for many women the only way to lead a reasonably independent life. You chose, as your focus, one street in Tehran— Vali Asr Street. Two of them are reading it now, though they're not in the country at the moment. Their sense of humor. Images Donate icon An illustration of a heart shape Donate Ellipses icon An illustration of text ellipses. It manifests itself in the thriving black market for pornography; in the boys of the Islamic volunteer militia "Basij", who are only too willing to monitor young girls; in their commander who abuses young boys; in the elderly man who regularly claims to be going on a pilgrimage to Mecca, and who instead flies to Thailand; in the young divorced woman who prays and fasts to rid herself of her desire; and in the prostitute who enters into a temporary marriage, or "sigheh" to legalise the act. Can you talk about your method? Want more? It's sweeping across youth in the whole country. The highest number of nose jobs in the world, dyed-blond hair and perfect manicures — many Iranian women emulate Hollywood actresses, often behind closed doors and underneath the chador. Because you feel so moved by the stories. Like sharing really intimate thoughts and feelings with a very conservative, religious, young Iranian woman. The stories presented It was while working as a newspaper correspondent in Tehran that she began interviewing a wide range of ordinary people about their lives, collecting stories which are unsurprisingly extraordinary. That's why I wanted to speak to characters like Somayeh, who love the supreme leader and absolutely believe in the Islamic regime. And it's fascinating how young Iranians get around the legal and social restrictions placed on them. Clothing regulations have applied since the Islamic Revolution. Navai paints an intimate portrait of those discreet recesses in a city where the difference between modesty and profanity, loyalty and betrayal, honor and disgrace is often no more than the believability of a lie. That young people dancing on the street equates to a mass rebellion. Navai paints brilliantly insightful portraits of eight Tehranis suffering under an Iranian revolution which has gone terribly wrong - but with no stomach for another in the light of the failed 'Arab Spring' - Jonathan Rugman, The Spectator. I don't know, but I do think it will be a long, slow, drawn-out process of reform and change. Follow him on Twitter or at simonworrallauthor. It is, in many ways, the written version of a television docudrama, with parallel stories that never intersect. Because helpful people regularly crop up, as well as two people who really love each other. And each and every one illuminates a particular issue, for example divorce, homosexuality, transsexuality, terrorism or prostitution, and the suffering, but also the dangers that come with all these things in the Islamic Republic. Author Ramita Navai says she wanted to give readers a taste of real life in Tehran, to show what day-to-day living there is like. For months, Amir and his grandfather searched for them. I don't know if it's critical of the regime. Who will win? The stories are almost unbelievable. Lady in Waiting. Testing the limits Over the past few years, Ramita Navai has closely observed these opportunities to test the limits of the smallest freedoms and take a stand. Navai's book offers a fascinating glimpse into how Iranians cope with the demands of living under one of the world's most authoritarian regimes. Here is a place where mullahs visit prostitutes, drug kingpins run crystal meth kitchens, surgeons restore girls' virginity and homemade porn is sold in the sprawling bazaars; a place where ordinary people are forced to lead extraordinary lives. Welcome to Tehran, a city where survival depends on a network of subterfuge. Erdogan's poetry recital sparks diplomatic row between Turkey and Iran. I think it's how you interpret it. Navai writes with punch, providing an immediacy that makes for compulsive page-turning. In the final reportage, the ageing Farideh leaves the country to try and make a fresh start in London. It is an instrument of power or a way of rebelling — and in addition for many women the only way to lead a reasonably independent life. Lots of young people tell me that only in sex do they feel really free. The portraits are collages, composed of several people and scenes, woven and organised into a stringent narrative plot. City of Lies: Love, Sex, Death and the Search for Truth in Tehran Writer Based on extensive interviews, CITY OF LIES chronicles the lives of eight men and women drawn from across the spectrum of Iranian society and reveals what it is to live, love and survive in one of the world's most repressive regimes. But try as they might, they haven't been able to stamp it out. Like the early Christians did with pagan, Celtic mythology. I also wanted to show that the Islamic regime has been good for many people as well, that the revolution happened for a reason. So I hope it doesn't come across as critical. But the state encourages Iranians to put the Koran on the table. Ben Collins. Inhalt Praise for City of Lies. It is, in many ways, the written version of a television docudrama, with parallel stories that never intersect. In the end, Farideh can't fight it. Some are from old money, who lost everything when the revolution happened, but who refused to go because they felt bound to this land, their land. Farideh regrets not going, like so many Iranians, to America or England when the revolution happened. Meanwhile her husband had also been thrown into a cell. She was born in Tehran, her family left Iran when she was six years old, during the Revolution. That's why I wanted to speak to characters like Somayeh, who love the supreme leader and absolutely believe in the Islamic regime. The highest number of nose jobs in the world, dyed-blond hair and perfect manicures — many Iranian women emulate Hollywood actresses, often behind closed doors and underneath the chador. Although social networks like Facebook and Instagram are officially banned in Iran, many people find a way around the prohibitions. Used Hardcover Quantity available: 1. Better World Books. Or, for example, where they were not comfortable with me interviewing their mother or their husband, we would agree on somebody to interview who came from the same kind of background and area in Tehran. It was while working as a newspaper correspondent in Tehran that she began interviewing a wide range of ordinary people about their lives, collecting stories which are unsurprisingly extraordinary. This specific ISBN edition is currently not available. Web icon An illustration of a computer application window Wayback Machine Texts icon An illustration of an open book. City of Lies: Love, Sex, Death and the Search for Truth in Tehran Reviews I had amazingly frank conversations with people, which sometimes surprised me. She then worked as a volunteer English teacher, teaching street children in the poor neighbourhoods of southern Tehran, which contrast sharply with the wealthy districts of villas to the north of the city. Can you talk about her? But they are written in a lively style that reads like a novel. She transports us through the Iranian capital's multiple personas with deft and knowing navigation: never short of love for even the lowliest of her fellow Tehranis. On the other hand, they saw me as an outsider, someone Westernized, so they felt that I wouldn't judge them, especially when it came to having frank discussions about sex. The more they deny and bann sex, the more they have it. Subscribe to our newsletter. Whether by accident or intention, Navai's first sentence is the paradox known to logicians as the Liar or Epimenides's Paradox. An eye-opening account of ordinary lives lived under the shadow of a repressive regime, City of Lies documents the dangerous, desperate and frequently bizarre activities of eight men and women residents of Tehran. You never know what's coming next. You explain in the notes at the back of the book that to protect your sources, you disguised the real names and locations of your characters.