Iranian exile speaks out

By: Javonna Gumm

Posted: 5/5/08

The American Book Review presented yet another intriguing writer that concluded this year's spring series.

Farnoosh Moshiri, an Iranian exile, spoke to a full audience at Alcorn Auditorium on April 24.

Students from Victoria Memorial High School, UHV faculty and people from the community came to hear what Moshiri had to say about her life and literary work. Her life is what inspires her writing.

More than 20 years ago, she was exiled from Iran because of her bold political beliefs and writings.

Her father was tortured by Iranian officials to try and find out where she was.

"Being exiled teaches humility," Moshiri said.

She and her 2-year-old son stayed in a refugee camp for four years after being exiled. After the long years at the refugee camp, they moved to Houston to live with her sister.

After being uprooted from her family and friends, she felt homeless. Writing became her safe place. She "returns" to her native home for a brief time whenever she has the chance to write.

"I wrote about my grandmother and the smell of saffron throughout the house. These things brought me home for just a while," Moshiri said.

After writing for four years about her home in Iran and her journey to where she was, she realized that she still felt homeless. She wrote to "un-exile" herself little by little. She felt both blessed and cursed.

Her melancholy flavor is tasted throughout her writings with her bittersweet success.

Her new book, Against Gravity, captures the essence of her life; a struggle against forces that seem inevitable.

Charles Alcorn, the managing editor of the ABR, said, "This was a good example of how great the Small Press Publishing writers truly are."