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Shiva Arastui
Poet, Writer
Iran
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Born in Tehran, 1962
Diploma in Health Assistance, Tehran University, 1983
Diploma in Industrial Public Health, Tehran University, 1989
BA in English Language, Azad University, Tehran, 1989
Thesis: The translation of "Hajji Baba" from English into Persian, 1989
Four years studying "Fiction" at Reza Baraheni Workshops, 1989-1994
Shiva Arastui lives and works as a professional writer; her high degree of social activities, allow her to write more near to the reality of her home. She has done many interviews; a lot of critics is written on her works, while she has written a large number of critics and introductions on poems, short stories, novels and movies.
Social Activities:
Medical Voluntary in war hospitals, 1979-1982
Medical Voluntary in burn & accident hospitals, 1981
Cooperation with Dr. Barzegar in "Free Vaccination Project" for children in the south of Tehran, 1988
Cooperation in doctorate thesis "Industrial Public Health in Iranian Factories", 1989
Medical Voluntary in earthquake of Roudbar, 1990
2004, Body building coach, 1990
Medical Voluntary in earthquake of Bam, 2004
Teaching:
Teaching Grammar of English Language, 1997
Personal Fiction Workshop Institute, 1997 to present
She has taught numerous students; three of the best 2000's writers have studied in her workshops; two of them have won the best prize of Golshiri Foundation in 2001 and 2002.
Teaching "Fiction" in Art University, Tehran, 2000
Teaching "Fiction" in Farabi University, Tehran, 2001
Translations & Critic:
Translation of "Anna Akhmatoa" from English to Persian (with Reza Baraheni), 1989
Art critic & literary critic in "Film Reportage Magazine" and other newspapers, 1992-1996
Literary Critic on "Wandering Island", a novel by Simin Danesh-var, published in Takapou magazine; this critic is translated into English, as the introduction of the English version of the novel, 1997
Movies Critic Book, on war movies, due to Ahmad Reza Darvish's movies
Translation of Forouq Farokh-zad's poem from Persian to English, 1998
Movies:
Consultant writer of war movies, 1995-2000
Movies Critic Book, on war movies, due to Ahmad Reza Darvish's movies, 1997
Actor in avant-garde short movie, director "Parviz Jahed", based on a short story by Mohammad GhasemZadeh, 1998
Actor in avant-garde short movie "Chaos", director "Maneli Azar Mehr", based on Forouq Farokh-zad's life (BA thesis), 1997
Actor in avant-garde short movie, director "Azadeh Salimian" (BA thesis), 2000
Actor in avant-garde short movie "Black Down", director "Bijan Mir Baqeri", based on the "Black Down" short story, by Jonpa Lahiri, 2000
Books: Poetry
Lost, 1994
Poetry collection/Roshan-garan Pub./85 pages/Persian language/43 poems from 1989-1994
Let's Finish it, 2002
Poetry collection/First edition, 2002, Guiv Pub./Second edition, 2004, Qatreh Pub./63 pages/Persian language/33 poems from 1994-2001
Books: Short Story
I've Come to Drink Tea, With My Daughter, 1996
Collection of a novelette and 6 short stories/First edition, 1997, Markaz Pub./Second edition 2001, Qazal Pub./Third edition, 2003, Markaz Pub./95 pages/Persian language/
First story, "I've Come to Drink Tea, With My Daughter", is the narration of the life of a woman, who is going to act in a movie of her previous husband, the director. Each story in this collection is an effort of the writer to experience new forms in her works.
Aftab Mahtab, 1998
Collection of 10 short stories/First edition 2002, Guiv Pub./Second edition 2003, Guiv Pub./Third edition 2004, Markaz Pub./104 pages/Persian language/
An exact experience of the subjective manners of Iranian today's women, sometimes scoffing, and also explanation of the human relations, remembering nostalgic reminiscences in suitable forms of story and indirect explanation of the women in the society are the main themes of all the short stories in this book.
I'm not Virgin, 2004
Collection of short stories/2005/Qatreh Pub./Persian language
These stories contain mostly the problems and specialties of Iranian women from different classes. Form in these stories are more conscious and more complete. The language of the narration is neutralized to the real narrations.
Books: Novel
Just I Saw Him, Became Pretty, 1991
Novelette/First edition, 1991, Roshan-garan Pub./Second edition, 2004, Qatreh Pub./72 pages/Persian language/written on 1989-1991
A modern narration of the different phases of the life of a nurse. The structure of the narration shows the experience of the subjective and objective language, both together. The relation between she and her father "Abu-Taleb", who suffered from Epilepsy, death; war-wounded-mad soldier, who is hospitalized, in coma; her relation with the imagination of young Abu-Taleb; her relation with the boy or girl, victim of the earthquake; and in the center of the relation, the subjective conversation of the narrator with an imaginary sperm, which she wishes, she had it from her lover, are the most important themes of the novelette. Shahrzad, the narrator of all the other stories of the writer, became the archetype mother and the earthen archetype women in this story.
Bi Bi Shahrzad, 2001
Novel/First edition, 2001, Baran Pub., Sweden/Second edition, 2004, Qatreh Pub., Tehran/164 pages/Persian language/Some parts are translated and published in Swedish language./This novel has won the Sweden Scholarship (Pen)./written on 1997-1999
It is the narration of a prostitute girl, by a painter. Beside the narration of her life, painter's life is shown. The story starts and finishes on the painting of the girl, which is drawn by the narrator. Using different views in this novel, results a new experience in the form and structure.
The First Version, 1998
Novel/1998, Elm Pub./220 pages/Persian language/
The narrator narrates the process of the writing of this book. It has created a new experience in the written experiences of Iranian writers: the Experience of the Writing of the Writing Process. It contains documentary phenomena of the period that the writer is born, attained and is writing.
The Sky is not Empty, 2003
Novel/Elm Pub./2003/152 pages/Persian language/
In the time of chain-terrors, the narrator, who is a writer herself, searching the reasons of her father's death (a poet), went to his home town. While writing a book on his father's life (Dashi) in this trip, her life is narrated, and it is identified with the myth of Anahita.
Opium, 2004
Novel/2005/Qatreh Pub./Persian language/
It is the narration of a woman's life, torture and then addiction. The main location is a mental hospital that the narrator is hospitalized there. In a Surrealistic and Metaphormistic approach, the hospital became the final place for all the people of the novel.
Ashame, 2004
Novel/2005/Qatreh Pub./Persian language/
The narration of the life of 3 women; the first is an Iranian woman, who travels to Europe as a tourist; the second is an immigrated Iranian women to Europe; and the last one is a Swedish woman. The life of each three women causes another narrations. Situation in this novel has the main role to construct the form.
Prizes:
Pen (Sweden Scholarship), for "Bi-Bi Shahrzad" book, for two years (March 2001-2003); she used only six months of this scholarship; Shiva Arastui donated the rest of the period to the Iranian poet, Maryam Houleh and her family, 2001
Golshiri Prize, for "Aftab-Mahtab" book, 2003
Yalda Literal Prize, for "Aftab-Mahtab" book, 2003
The idea of the Jury:
In her works, the motion toward subjective writing of the woman, while using feminine story arrangement, successful transformation of the spaces,
changing personages and writing of unsaid experiences are distinguished and characterized.
The Names
(a Poem from the collection of "Let's Finish It!")
My poem
Wouldn’t suit to the rime of my figure
my name
wouldn’t get rid of my surname
but you
to my name
do not intend my suitable body
gentlemen!
in which corner of your party
is a prayer mat spread that you are waiting for me?
to tie a rag to miracle, I’d told some of you: Love!
the broadcloth of your chests
smells after the stench of your breath
so, tying the rag wouldn’t join miracle
one of you, who was too genius
so much I was satiated with the wisdom of his genius
poured from my heart to my gut and was lost in well!
I’d told the last one of you;
let’s finish it
he took it seriously and I was finished
your surname wouldn’t able to join my first name
do not intend my suitable body
read your newspaper
it is full of your surnames
I’ve stuck my forehead on the broadcloth’s seal
do get rid of my surname!
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