Women without Men, a novella to read

An ambitious and daring account of Iranian women’s lives in Iran, Women without Men is a modern tale of five women rising against social norms and traditions—reinventing themselves, giving their existence a voice, and coming in terms with their bodies. In a country that women are deprived of legal equal standing with men and that their sexuality is under constant attack from the society, Parsipur’s novella takes us into the lives of five women with different backgrounds and upbringings, presenting to us their struggle to free themselves not only from the patriarchal society but from misogynistic thoughts and judgments that shape their understanding of their own bodies.

To Shahrnush Parsipur, existence does not mean living or breathing; it is becoming and constant changing. It is a graceful metamorphosis. If a woman claims to be alive, she needs to go through this process of metamorphoses and transformation; otherwise she is dead. It is the woman’s responsibility, in Parsipur’s world, to move up and forward. The future is now and in it there is no room for inconsiderate, selfish, misogynistic men or even thoughts and systems of beliefs. By empowering woman and believing in her abilities to rise, change, and shine, Parsipur puts her in an equal standing with men, capable of revolt, competent in sharpening her senses, able to shape her life as she wishes and certainly gifted enough to write her own story.