The literary cartography of Tehran: A geocritical analysis of urban narratives in Azar Nafisi's prose

Autobiographical writing is a multifaceted practice that interweaves spatial and temporal
dimensions. It is not merely a recollection of past events but an examination of life experiences,
viewed through the lens of the present self and contextualized within specific environments.
This context enriches the narrative, providing depth and authenticity. This study analyses how
Iranian-American writer Azar Nafisi represents the socio-cultural and physical landscapes of
Tehran in her three non-fiction works: Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books, Things
I've been silent about: Memories of a Prodigal Daughter, and Read Dangerously: The
Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times. The focus is on how these depictions inform
the themes and narrative structure within her works. Each book is examined for its specific
narrative techniques and themes, such as the use of intertextuality in Reading Lolita in Tehran,
the exploration of cultural and historical contexts in Things I've Been Silent About, and the
technique of cognitive mapping in Read Dangerously. In Nafisi's narratives, space and place
embody her personal experiences, socio-cultural observations, and political commentaries.
Nafisi utilizes space and place as dynamic elements in the fabric of her narratives. Existing
scholarly investigation of spatial literary analysis, namely the examination of the representation
and significance of physical space and place within autobiographical literary works, has been
constrained by the prevailing limitations on source literature, which are primarily restricted to
American and European authors. However, by broadening the scope of research to include non-
Western authors such as those from Iran, we can explore the nuanced role of space in diasporic
literature, uncovering distinctive insights that conventional Western-centric analyses might
overlook. In this study, I utilize the theoretical framework of geocriticism, which examines
topics such as space and place, literary cartography, and spatial relations in literature. Applying
geocriticism allows us to dissect and understand how these spatial elements operate within her
narratives, influencing experience of the story. Nafisi imbues each location with a life of its
own, drawing attention to its unique attributes and history which not only enhance the reader's
understanding of the context but also serve to heighten the emotional intensity of the narratives.
Thus, this study investigates how Nafisi's works reflect the significant changes in Tehran after
the 1979 Islamic revolution, and how the city is experienced, imagined, and represented by the
author. This involves a form of literary cartography, focusing specifically on the ways her texts
describe and depict place. Furthermore, although the social and political context of her work is
not the focus of this study, its effects on her narratives are of great importance. Therefore, I
examine the social and political context of her work to shed light on the effect of her
displacement on the depiction of place in her narratives. Moreover, I explore how a sense of
place or belonging is formed through Nafisi's geographic experiences. The author's conscious
choice of incorporating specific urban spaces into her narrative gives them a symbolic
importance. By presenting detailed descriptions and depicting interactions within these
settings, her works offer a context that portrays Tehran and its complicated facets.