Chahdortt Djavann (; born 1967) is an
Iranian-born French contemporary writer, novelist, and
essayist
An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal a ...
. Her works often touch on topics such as identity and memory; and she is outspoken against
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
and Iranian religious leaders.
She regularly appears on French television and radio.
Biography
Chahdortt Djavann was born in 1967 in
Pahlavi Iran
The Imperial State of Iran ( fa, کشور شاهنشاهی ایران, ), also known as the Imperial State of Persia, was the official name of the Iranian state under the rule of the Pahlavi dynasty.
It was formed in 1925 and lasted until 197 ...
; her family was of Azerbaijani descent from an aristocratic line.
She left Iran in 1991. First, she moved to Turkey, followed by a move to France in 1993.
She attended the
School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences
The School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (french: École des hautes études en sciences sociales; EHESS) is a graduate ''grande école'' and ''grand établissement'' in Paris focused on academic research in the social sciences. The ...
(French: Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales) in Paris.
Her novel ''La Muette'' (
Flammarion Flammarion may refer to:
* Camille Flammarion (1842–1925), French astronomer and author
* Gabrielle Renaudot Flammarion (1877–1962), French astronomer, wife of Camille Flammarion
* Flammarion engraving by unknown artist; appeared in a book by C ...
, 2008) is the confession of a fifteen-year-old girl sentenced to hang in the prisons of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Djavann often was on the forefront of political and religious debates, including the
veil debates in France, and she has spoken openly on the topic of immigration assimilation.
In January 2006, Djavann was a guest on the French television program ''Culture et Dépendances'', where she spoke on "assimilation as liberation".
She was awarded the Grand Prix de la Laïcité (2003) for secularism from the association.
In 2004, she was honored with the title of Chevalier (Knight) of the
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...
.
Her work has sparked both praise and criticism. Djavann was labeled as a experiencing "
self-orientalism" by Laetitia Nanquette in the research article ''French New Orientalist Narratives from the "Natives": Reading More Than Chahdortt Djavann in Paris'' (2009), published in the academic journal ''Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East''.
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See also
References
Further reading
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External links
Chahdortt Djavann's podcasts at Radio FranceChahdortt Djavann IMDb
{{DEFAULTSORT:Djavann, Chahdortt
1967 births
Iranian emigrants to France
Iranian writers
French writers
Novelists from Paris
School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences alumni
Iranian Azerbaijanis
Secularism in France
French women novelists
Iranian women novelists
Living people