Iran and the Diaspora: Irreconcilable Divisions?

Abstract

This chapter argues that the Iranian diaspora is a case of a diaspora spread widely, that is relatively well-connected otherwise, but not when it comes to global literary exchanges. It reflects on the division that exists between literary practitioners who leave Iran and those who stay. I also study some examples of attempts to overcome the division of the diaspora as well as the blockages to cooperation, such as the initiatives of the publishers Naakojaa and Candle & Fog, and literary blogs in the diaspora based on interviews and case studies with literary practitioners from the US, the UK, Iran, France and Australia.