Land of Roses and Nightingales

This collection of translated Persian Folktales focused on female protagonists, is a new publication created by Nooshie Motaref, author of the award-winning novel, Tapestries of the Heart.  She grew up in Persia and studied in four countries—Iran, Germany, Switzerland and the United States. She received her master’s and doctorate degrees in American Literature and Folklore from Florida State University. Her dissertation is a proof of Carl Jung’s theory, the “Collective Unconscious,” through Persian fairytales and folktales.

Reading these stories is a journey much like a magic carpet ride — a Persian girl’s odysseys through time and space. She steps out of a dream, an embodiment of a hero and battles evil forces or solves riddles by using her wits and strengths. She serves for the good of others, consequently, in the process, she metamorphoses to a mature woman. In the end, through endurance, she is triumphant so that even the Persian king takes a bow to her. Her adventures are based on Persian fairytales and folktales narrated by her.

The tales are timeless and carry a feminist message. It does not matter where we live, we are all fascinated by ordinary heroes. We love to read stories where a single unexpected event can utterly transform a life. These thousand-year-old fables have endured showing the timeless universal issues all teens go through: love, heartache, family matters, and challenging authority. These adventures are gripping and compelling, chosen to help our teens recognize they have the same conflicts as other young people throughout history and in very different cultures.

Fairytales of each country are like the folk music or “science fiction” of that nation. These adventures are adapted to appeal to Young Adult readers. Yet they also carry redeeming social value that attracts teachers, professors, librarians, storytellers, and parents. The Literary Analysis is to assist in interpreting the girl’s adventures based on Carl Jung’s theory, “Collective Unconscious”. It is the icing on the cake.

In March of 2014, Nooshie Motaref presented one of her articles, “Women and Islam,” for a conference, Women, and Education, at Oxford University in Oxford, England.

She frequently gives speeches on several subjects related to her birthplace including its culture, traditions, and religion. Her purpose is to familiarize Western audiences with Iranian life and ethnicity.