Zarah Ghahramani
Encyclopedia
Zarah Ghahramani is an Iran
ian-born author living in Australia
who wrote My Life as a Traitor
, an award-winning memoir of her imprisonment and torture in Evin Prison
.
father who was a military officer under the Shah of Iran and a mother who raised Ghahramani in the Zoroastrian faith. Because Ghahramani's family strongly disagreed with the country's conservative rulers, she was politically active from an early age. However, her "rage at the government was a matter of personal style as much as of principle," resulting from the "dos and don'ts" of the life she was expected to live under.
, she was involved in student politics. After a period of political activism that displeased the Iranian authorities, she was arrested and imprisoned in the infamous Evin prison. Charged with "inciting crimes against the people of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Ghahramani was beaten, interrogated and locked in solitary confinement. At the end of her 30-day sentence, she was released.
Because Ghahraman was at risk of being arrested again, writer Robert Hillman helped her to escape the country. She currently lives in Australia.
, a biographical account of Ghahramani's life and imprisonment. The book won the award for Australian Small Publisher of the Year for 2006
. and was shortlisted for the 2008 Prime Minister's Literary Awards
.
Ghahramani continues to write, most recently publishing an essay in the anthology How They See Us, edited by James Atlas.
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian-born author living in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
who wrote My Life as a Traitor
My Life as a Traitor
My Life as a Traitor is a 2007 biography and memoir, written by Zarah Ghahramani and Robert Hillman. The book documents the life of Ghahramani, including her early childhood...
, an award-winning memoir of her imprisonment and torture in Evin Prison
Evin Prison
Evin House of Detention is a prison in Iran, located in Evin, northwestern Tehran. It is noted for its political prisoners' wing, where prisoners have been held both before and after the 1979 Iranian Revolution...
.
Life
Ghahramani was born and raised in Tehran, Iran, the daughter of KurdishKurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
father who was a military officer under the Shah of Iran and a mother who raised Ghahramani in the Zoroastrian faith. Because Ghahramani's family strongly disagreed with the country's conservative rulers, she was politically active from an early age. However, her "rage at the government was a matter of personal style as much as of principle," resulting from the "dos and don'ts" of the life she was expected to live under.
Arrest and Imprisonment
When Ghahramani was a 20-year-old college student at the University of TehranUniversity of Tehran
The University of Tehran , also known as Tehran University and UT, is Iran's oldest university. Located in Tehran, the university is among the most prestigious in the country, and is consistently selected as the first choice of many applicants in the annual nationwide entrance exam for top Iranian...
, she was involved in student politics. After a period of political activism that displeased the Iranian authorities, she was arrested and imprisoned in the infamous Evin prison. Charged with "inciting crimes against the people of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Ghahramani was beaten, interrogated and locked in solitary confinement. At the end of her 30-day sentence, she was released.
Because Ghahraman was at risk of being arrested again, writer Robert Hillman helped her to escape the country. She currently lives in Australia.
Writings
In 2007 Ghahramani and Hillman published My Life as a TraitorMy Life as a Traitor
My Life as a Traitor is a 2007 biography and memoir, written by Zarah Ghahramani and Robert Hillman. The book documents the life of Ghahramani, including her early childhood...
, a biographical account of Ghahramani's life and imprisonment. The book won the award for Australian Small Publisher of the Year for 2006
2006 in literature
The year 2006 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Literature:*Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Half of a Yellow Sun*Chris Adrian - The Children's Hospital *Martin Amis - House of Meetings...
. and was shortlisted for the 2008 Prime Minister's Literary Awards
Prime Minister's Literary Awards
The Australian Prime Minister's Literary Awards were announced at the end of 2007 by the incoming Rudd Ministry following the 2007 election. They are administered by the Minister for the Arts....
.
Ghahramani continues to write, most recently publishing an essay in the anthology How They See Us, edited by James Atlas.