Nooshie Motaref – författare

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.

Bird of Passage is a fascinating account of a woman, Mitra, born in Iran who moves through the world looking for love, spiritual healing, and an understanding of what has happened to her homeland. Due to the well-constructed plot arc, Mitra will feel like a dear friend by the end of the book. 

The plotting of this elaborate novel moves like a dramatic tapestry, skillfully designed and displayed. As Seen through Mitra''s perceptions, the author explores in depth the culture, history, and chaos of a rebellion scarred homeland. 

Wherever Mitra goes, she finds adventure, insecurity, romance, danger and, at times, disappointment. Yet her inner strength remains honed to the tasks that face her. Her namesake, from Indo-Persian mythology, is a wise woman who speaks truth, "with a thousand ears...ten thousand eyes." This fortitude will be especially needed for her, as when following the ascension to power of the Khomeini regime in Iran. 

Mitra''s dynamic adventures so meticulously parsed will inevitably raise important questions for American readers about the U.S. and its actions in the worldwide political panorama, and be challenged to carefully consider the dilemma of those who, dominated by an oppressive regime, are forced to express loyalty to leaders they have not chosen. However, an uplifting balance is struck in the narrative, stressing the importance of listening to one''s inner voice. 

In a time of worldwide upheaval, Bird of Passage is not only beautifully told, but important for a wide range of readers, as it meshes romance, intrigue, scholarly wisdom, and the lively, credible feelings of a woman of the world poring over her proper place in it. Mitra''s saga, imbued with cinematic intensity, has the power to reach, engage, and motivate readers of many cultures and convictions.