Laura Secor on Iran

Secretive, ambitious and often hostile, the Islamic Republic of Iran looms as an inscrutable presence on the world stage. Following the 1979 revolution – which saw Iran become the first revolutionary theocracy in the modern era – it’s proved difficult for outsiders to get a handle on the unfolding drama of the republic and the vigorous, often deathly, debates between the country’s religious thinkers, political operatives, dissidents, artists and intellectuals.

Journalist Laura Secor has spent many years researching and reporting on post-revolution Iran for The New Yorker, The New York Times and other publications. In her book, Children of Paradise, Secor provides a detailed portrait of this fascinating, often brutal republic. Focusing her research on activists, journalists and reformers, she shows how Iranian intellectuals have worked to maintain a rich political discourse in a country where voicing your opinion can lead to imprisonment or even the death penalty.

In conversation with Sally Warhaft as part of Melbourne Writers Festival, Secor will discuss Iran’s turbulent political past, present and future.

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