Shahrnush Parsipur, the celebrated Iranian writer whose feminist novels challenged patriarchal norms and led to multiple imprisonments, has died at the age of 80.
Her UK publisher, Denise Rose Hansen, confirmed the news, expressing deep grief over the loss of an author whose work left an indelible mark on literature.
Parsipur was a pioneer of women's literature in Iran.
Her novels, including "Women Without Men" and "Touba and the Meaning of Night," drew scrutiny from authorities under both the Shah and the Islamic Republic.
She was imprisoned four times.
Her first arrest came after she resigned from a state television producer role to protest the execution of two poets by the secret police, Savak.
During the 1980s, she spent four years and seven months in prison without formal charges.
This experience is detailed in her upcoming book "Prison Memoir," scheduled for full English publication in 2027.
Born on February 17, 1946, in Tehran, Parsipur studied sociology at the University of Tehran.
She published her first novel, "The Dog and the Long Winter," in 1974, becoming Iran's second female novelist after Simin Daneshvar.
In 1989, she published "Touba and the Meaning of Night," a historical novel about a woman's life in 20th-century Iran.
Penguin will publish it in the UK in 2028.
The same year, she released "Women Without Men," which follows five women seeking freedom from patriarchal oppression during the 1953 coup.
The novel was adapted into a film in 2009.
Its depiction of female sexuality led to her arrest after the wife of an Islamic Republic official discovered the book.
Parsipur lived in political exile in the United States from 1994 onward.
"Women Without Men" was longlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2026 after its first UK publication.
Hansen noted that Parsipur remained vibrant until her final days.
"Her singular vision and incredible courage have been, and will continue to be, a guiding star for so many people," she said.
In an interview with The Guardian in March, Parsipur commented on the changing social landscape in Iran.
"The women of Iran have changed so much, so many without hijab," she said.
She added, "They don't care what the Islamic Republic thinks. I think they will cause the fall of the Islamic Republic."
Parsipur held a lifelong ambition to write.
She read the Persian translation of Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations" 36 times to learn the craft, and cited Dostoevsky and Kafka as major influences.
Her other works include "The Blue Reason," "Shiva," "Trial Offer," and "Tea Ceremony in the Presence of the Wolf."
