Mahdokht (Mahin) Sanati (Dowlatabadi)

Accomplished writer, translator, editor, social-activist, painter, gardener and cook ~ Mahdokht Sanati has only one setting “GO.”

At 5:30 AM, you can often find Mahdokht in her backyard toiling over every inch of her garden. At eighty-one she has written a novel entitled "Women of Shadow and Light". Together with Afsaneh Najmabadi she edited a three volume set of books on renowned Iranian feminist, Sediqeh Dolatabadi (1998). With Lily Ahi and Touran Mir-Hadi, Mahdokht co-authored "Gozari Dar Adabiat Koodakan” (1973). She has been the recipient of multiple awards for her translation of children’s fiction and non-fiction books. In partnership with Noble Peace Prize Winner, Shirin Ebadi, in 1994 Mahdokht co-founded Society for Protection of Childen’s Right in Iran. Focused on child advocacy and enhancement of women’s rights, she continues her life’s passion on the betterment of the lives of the impoverished.

Women of Shadow and Light

In "Women of Shadow and Light," Mahdokht Sanati tells the story of Touran, whose, 65-year journey takes her from Iran to the UK and US and back again in an intensely personal quest to understand herself, her family, and her culture. Propelled by her beloved brother’s devastating suicide when she is still a young girl, Touran probes the mysteries of her broken family while being plunged into the religious and social turmoil of modern Iran. Through the power of Touran’s memory and imagination, Sanati gives voice to four generations of Iranian women over the last half century, in an effort to help heal those who paid the price while struggling to make a meaningful life in a country in upheaval.

Farsi Paperback Edition Available via Amazon.

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