Florence-Zohreh Zare

I Am a Pearl, I Am an Island and Other Short Stories Florence-Zohreh Zare

"I Am a Pear, I Am an Island and Other Short Stories" describes, light-heartedly and with philosophy, the adventures of a young woman, who for family reasons comes back to her country of origin after 15 years of absence, and finds it all totally changed due to the Revolution. The way she and her half-European son are received, however, strongly impresses her. Indeed, she and her 3-year-old son are welcomed, and cared for with a lot of sympathy. Through her stories, FloZa introduces the readers to the Iranian people, their customs, and the importance of family ties in their culture... FloZa draws ample inspiration from her own journey and experience. She writes: "Indeed, I was impressed by the care and attention that we witnessed every day. We had nowhere to go and we were accepted kind-heartedly. We spent 7 wonderful years together with our family. Maybe it was the war years that had created such patience and solidarity among the people, I don't know. During that particular time of my life it did me a lot of good to be there, sheltered, cared for, and feeling in no danger whatsoever". In Iran, I met a strong feeling of tolerance towards children and a general appreciation and respect for "the woman." We should keep in mind that Iran has inherited a very old and refined culture, and a tradition of tolerance and understanding that still exists among her People".