Gossip was rife in the capital about the poetess of Qazvin. Some claimed she had been arrested for masterminding the murder of the grand Mullah, her uncle. Others echoed her words, and passed her poems from hand to hand. Everyone spoke of her beauty, and her dazzling intelligence. But most alarming to the Shah and the court was how the poetess could read. As her warnings and predictions became prophecies fulfilled, about the assassination of the Shah, the hanging of the Mayor, and the murder of the Grand Vazir, many wondered whether she was not only reading history but writing it as well. Was she herself guilty of the crimes she was foretelling? Set in the world of the Qajar monarchs, mayors, ministers, and mullahs, this book explores the dangerous and at the same time luminous legacy left by a remarkable person. Bahiyyih Nakhjavani offers a gripping tale that is at once a compelling history of a pioneering woman, a story of nineteenth century Iran told from the street level up, and a work that is universally relevant to our times.

Gossip was rife in the capital about the poetess of Qazvin. Some claimed she had been arrested for masterminding the murder of the grand Mullah, her uncle. Others echoed her words, and passed her poems from hand to hand. Everyone spoke of her beauty, and her dazzling intelligence. But most alarming to the Shah and the court was how the poetess could read. As her warnings and predictions became prophecies fulfilled, about the assassination of the Shah, the hanging of the Mayor, and the murder of the Grand Vazir, many wondered whether she was not only reading history but writing it as well. Was she herself guilty of the crimes she was foretelling? Set in the world of the Qajar monarchs, mayors, ministers, and mullahs, this book explores the dangerous and at the same time luminous legacy left by a remarkable person. Bahiyyih Nakhjavani offers a gripping tale that is at once a compelling history of a pioneering woman, a story of nineteenth century Iran told from the street level up, and a work that is universally relevant to our times.

Mahvash Sabet was once a leading figure in Iran's Baha'i community. In 2010, having already been imprisoned for two-and-a-half years, she was convicted of fabricated charges and sentenced to twenty years imprisonment: an all-too-common fate for Baha'is in Iran. These poems are her voice from prison.

A beautifully told, transcendent tale of truth, salvation, and the power of desire.
"Nakhjavani's robust debut is a Chaucerian rondo . . . [with a style] familiar from . . . early Salman Rushdie."
--James Urquhart, The London Times

An exploration in the Baha'i Writings of the dual nature of human relationships. (World Religions)

All Baha'i parents face special problems in bringing up their children in a world dominated by very different principles from those governing a Baha'i society. This book meets those problems head on, as it explores human nature and the rich theme of 'the Covenant', with its implications for family and community. Quotations from the Baha'i Writings tie the book closely to the source of its inspiration, and the author's own imagination and vitality build a bridge from ideals to everyday life. The author comes from a distinguished Baha'i family and herself has a daughter.