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BIO
Dora Levy Mossanen was born in Israel and moved to Iran at the age of nine. At the onset of the Islamic Revolution, she and her family moved to the U.S. She is a graduate of the USC masters of professional writing program and lives in Beverly Hills, California.
AUTHOR TALK
Dora Levy Mossanen, the author of HAREM --- a seductive and intriguing journey from the humble Persian Jewish quarter to the fascinating world of shahs, soothsayers, eunuchs, and sultanas --- shares background on her book.
Q: You paint such a vivid, detailed landscape of life as it was lived in the harem, the Jewish Quarter, and ancient Persia. How much research did you conduct, and how did the process of researching for the novel shape the story and the characters? Are Rebekah, Gold Dust, and Raven based on real people?
A: Research for HAREM, although voluminous, was so fascinating, I look back at the learning process with great fondness. My education about the Jewish Quarter, harems, sultanas, and eunuchs began early after I moved to Iran from Israel. My grandfather, a historian, would relish recounting astonishing stories that he assured me were true. As I grew older, the tales I heard and books I read became more complex and so did the characters that took shape in my imagination. I've known Rebekah, Gold Dust, and Raven first in real life and then embellished them in my imagination.
Q:Your research yielded some very surprising facts about life in a harem. What were some of the most surprising to you? How did they change your view of women's lives in that era?
A: Facts I found most surprising, which also altered my view of women in harems, were the power sultanas often wielded over their men and the politics of their countries, despite their restrictive environments. I was also astonished at the sexual desires and skills of eunuchs in spite of the general belief that castration deprives men of the need for and ability to perform.
Q:Many women will recognize themselves in the loving but sometimes conflicted relationship between Rebekah and Gold Dust, especially by the clash between Rebekah's ambitions and Gold Dust's dreams. How did your experience as a mother and as a daughter inform your writing?
A: Both as a daughter and mother of daughters, I have experienced the intricate web of love, ambition, and dreams that often translate into rebellion and a clash of wills that, if not handled delicately, could lead to disaster. Rebekah's aspiration for Gold Dust did not mesh well with Gold Dust's vision for herself, but, in the end, Rebekah's wisdom and courage might have saved the day. I, too, like all my characters, have been faced with challenging decisions that might have altered the course of our lives.
Q:You've just completed a second novel called COURTESAN. Can you tell us about your new heroine? Do you plan to continue the story of Rebekah, Gold Dust, and Raven in this book or another?
A: Lyla is a modern Iranian woman who in many ways is similar to Rebekah. Lyla will not tolerate her husband's infidelity and betrayal, but Rebekah's dream is for her daughter to join a world where hundreds of women compete for one man's attention. Both Lyla and Rebekah are obsessed, cunning, and powerful and, despite all odds, refuse to be discouraged. I hope to, one day soon, continue Rebekah and Raven's story after Rebekah returns to her beloved granddaughter, the Queen of Persia.
Q:Today, Iran is a very different place from the land you describe in HAREM, yet it is still a very restrictive society for women. Are there any similarities between your experience as a modern Iranian woman and that of your characters? What parts of the culture have endured? What has changed for women?
A: After the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Iranian women were forced to retreat into a more restrictive past like the one I recount in HAREM. Like my heroines and myself, Iranian women have often managed to rise above the limitations of their societies. But, in order to succeed, we had to be more resourceful than women in liberal countries. Iranian women are still a strong force who hold important jobs, are represented in the parliament, and are highly educated, but now they're forced, whether they concur or not, to conceal themselves under chadors.
Q:Having lived in Israel, Iran, and the United States, you have a unique perspective on women's lives in very different societies. What are some of the misconceptions we have about women living in Iran today? And about Iranian women living in the United States?
A: The misconception we have about women living in Iran is that their spirits have been broken down by this male-dominated society. Although this is true in some cases, overall it's difficult to break down an Iranian woman's will. She will find a way to educate herself, work, and expose her hair or ankle. The younger generation of Iranian women in the United States has become a major player in all aspects of society, and it would be a misconception to dismiss them.
Q:Many of the women in HAREM are quite powerful despite the severe limits imposed upon them by Persian culture. In fact, they are often as ruthless as the men who dominate them. Do you think there are any lessons contemporary women can draw from them?
A: Yes! It is exactly this, the power these women had, that fascinated me in the first place. And what we must learn from them is that our sensual, intuitive, and cerebral traits, coupled with perfect timing, can be a very effective tool in all aspects of our lives.
Q:You were born in Israel and grew up in Iran, so it seems no coincidence that the novel's main protagonists are Jewish women in ancient Persia. In addition to theme and location, how have your Jewish and Iranian cultures inspired and sustained your writing?
A: Having been raised in a culture rich in poetry and sensual imagery, it has certainly influenced my voice and style. The stories communicated to me throughout the years are so ingrained in me on conscious and subconscious levels that it's hard to separate what I write about from the reality of my life.
Q:What inspired you to write about the world of a harem? Why did you decide to depict it in a novel instead of a straightforward history? Did any particular book or author influence your choice?
A: I was inspired most by histories I read about sultanas who ruled empires from behind and beyond their golden cages. Not too long ago, Reza Shah, the late Mohammed Reza Shah's father, had a harem on a smaller scale, and I was intrigued by the intricate circumstances of these women's lives. To write a straightforward history, I would have had to curtail my creativity, an impossible task. Alev Lytle Croutier's book, HAREM: The World Behind the Veil, supplied captivating facts that influenced my choice.
© Copyright 2002 by Dora Levy Mossanen. All rights reserved.
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