Lift of My Life (2011)

Light of My Life is the true story of an ecstatic writer, and the looking-glass fancy of one maniacal reader. A hard-nosed quest to net the incredible happiness of an extraordinary writer. Every chapter is one idea of happiness—fifteen variations on a theme. Imaginary rambles, where beginning and end are but one and the same, and all inroads turn out to be bright mirrors.

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At Home

The artist Marina Sagona asked four young writers to contribute short-stories to her new book of illustrations about a solitary home in 21st-century New York. The rule was as follows: none of the four writers (Giovanna Calvino, Antonio Monda, Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts, and Lila Azam Zanganeh) knew what the others were writing about. The book came together only at the print. The color-studded result is an experimental work of drawings illustrated by a chance collection of stories.

Click here to visit the Roman gallery exhibiting the work, or to purchase a copy of the book »

Uncensored Iranian Voices

"All in all," writes editor Lila Azam Zanganeh in her introduction to My Sister, Guard Your Veil; My Brother, Guard Your Eyes, Uncensored Iranian Voices, "the gap between the multifaceted realities of Iranian political and cultural life and the simplified image one is often fed by politicians and mainstream media alike remains mind-boggling."

My Sister, Guard Your Veil aims to close that gap by offering a wide ranging look at Iran from the perspective of some the country's most astute observers and commentators. Including popular Iranian voices and personalities, such as Azar Nafisi, Marjane Satrapi, celebrated filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami, Oscar-nominated actress Shohreh Aghdashloo, as well as other journalists, poets, artists and philosophers, the anthology writes Azam Zanganeh "strives to open a series of vibrant perspectives on concealed Iranian realms."

Lila Azam Zanganeh is currently at work on a book about happiness according to Vladimir Nabokov.

Click here for more about the anthology and to purchase a copy »

North American edition:
My Sister, Guard Your Veil; My Brother, Guard Your Eyes: Uncensored Iranian Voices.
Boston: Beacon Press, 2006.

Italian edition:
Chi ha Paura dell'Iran?
Milan: Sperling & Kupfer, 2006.

Japanese edition:
How Iranian People Think Their Divine Country
Tokyo: Soshisha, 2007.