Zanān bidūn-i mardān

by Shahrnush Parsipur

This modern literary masterpiece follows the interwoven destinies of five women — including a wealthy middle-aged housewife, a prostitute, and a school-teacher — as they arrive by different paths to live together in an abundant garden on the outskirts of Tehran. Drawing on elements of Islamic mysticism and recent Iranian history, this unforgettable novel depicts women escaping the narrow confines of family and society, and imagines their future living in a world without men.