His wife of 40 days SNORES and he wants a divorce!! (02/19/1997)

TEHRAN, Iran (Reuter) - An Iranian man has filed for divorce from his wife of 40 days because she snores all night, a newspaper said Tuesday. "Believe me, over the past nights I have not been able to sleep at all...I am ready to divorce her on whatever legal grounds she wishes," the husband, named Gholam, was quoted by Iran News daily as telling the judge. Farzaneh, the wife, said she tried to hide her heavy snoring by dissolving sleeping pills into Gholam's evening meal. But to avoid divorce," said Farzaneh, "I am ready to sleep during the day and stay awake at night so that Gholam will not hear me snore." The daily said Gholam had rejected Farzaneh's offer and arbiters had been appointed to consider the case.

Bozorg Alavi, the celebrated Iranian author and novelist passed away today (02/18/1997)

Bozorg Alavi, the celebrated Iranian author and novelist passed away today. He was 93. Among his most famous works one can name "Her eyes", "Prison memoirs", "Suitcase", and "The 53 [comrades]". Bozorg Alavi published books and articles on social, cultural, and political subjects and was exiled during the Pahlavi regime. He taught at various universities in Germany and was living in Berlin. In 1993 he came to Iran for a visit. A memorial will be held for him on Thursday in Tehran's Al-Javad mosque. Alavi had an early fascination with the written word. Sent as a youth to Germany to pursue his education, he later came to consider his studies abroad an obstacle to his creativity as he lost touch with his Persian roots. On his return to Iran in 1927, he worked at a vocational school in Shiraz and soon met Sadeq Hedayat, one of the great modern Iranian writers who at the time had published his first books and was at the center of a new literary movement in Iran. Alavi was warmly encouraged by Hedayat who helped him with the publication of his first short story. Alavi also became involved in political activities linked to the Iranian Communist Party founded by Dr. Erani. Eventually, Alavi, along with 52 other party members and sympathizers, was arrested and imprisoned for five years. It was during his confinement that he felt himself very ready and eager to write, but was constrained by the restrictions enforced against political prisoners by the dictatorship of Reza Shah. The period from the exile of Reza Shah in 1941, which saw the emergence of a modicum of freedom of expression, to the CIA-led overthrow of Mossadeq in 1953, was the most productive in Alavi's literary career. It was during this time that he wrote his major works, such as, "Her Eyes." He learned about the coup while on a short trip to Germany which forced his long exile. Not a single word of his work was permitted to be published in Iran under the monarchy. Some of his books: DT Mirza PI Irvine, CA : Iranzamin, [199-?]. DT Lehrbuch der persischen Sprache / von Bozorg Alavi und Manfred Lorenz. ED 5. neubearbeitete Aufl. PI Leipzig : VEB Verlag Enzyklopadie, 1988. DT Chashmhayash / Buzurg Alavi. PI Tehran: Muassasah-e Entesharat-e Amir Kabir, 1357 [1978 or 1979]. DT Varaq parahha-ye zendan PI Tehran : Sepehr, 1357 [1978]. DT Panjah-o seh nafar PI Tehran : Amir Kabir, 1357 [i.e. 1978]. DT Geschichte und Entwicklung der modernen persischen Literatur PI Berlin, Akademie-Verlag, 1964. DT Salariha / nivishtah-i Buzurg Alavi. PI [Tehran] : Sazman-e Entesharat Javidan, 1357 [1978]. DT Namahha PI Tehran : Amir Kabir, 1357 [1978]. DT Chamadan PI Tehran Muassasah-e Entisharat-e Amir Kabir, 2537 [1978 or 1979]. ME Raffat, Donne. DT The prison papers of Bozorg Alavi : a literary odyssey / Donne Raffat. PI Syracuse, N.Y. : Syracuse University Press, 1985. DT Her eyes; translated by John O'Kane. PI Lanham [Md.] : University Press of America ; [S.l.] : Bibliotheca Persica, c1989. SE Modern Persian literature series ; no. 9.