Iran behind the headlines: recent
images and observations
A talk with photographs by Howard Lee at the Berkeley
Heights Public Library, Wednesday, November 19, 7-8:30 PM. Free admission.
The images we see of Iran are usually of black-veiled mobs, missiles and
bearded clerics. The reality of Iran as experienced by its ordinary citizens
is somewhat different. Author Howard Lee will share images from his recent
visit to Iran, covering topics from the veil to food to shopping and
satellite TV, revealing the real Iran behind the headlines. The photographs
were taken in diverse locations from the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea.
For more information contact Ellen Zander, Berkeley Heights Public Library
(908) 464-933
Return to Persepolis
Ten years after the visit that inspired the book
"Jamshid and the Lost Mountain of Light", author Howard Lee returned to
Persepolis in July 2008. It was the sight of his son looking through the
same windows that Darius the Great had looked through, that originally
inspired the book. Now, ten years later, Howard Lee has returned with both
of his sons to the site depicted in his book. Even a full day exploring the
various palaces and tombs in the hillside did not do justice to this wonder
of the world. From the ashes of Alexander's fire in the museum to the
sarcophagus of Artaxerxes (Ardashir) I, from the drainage conduits hewn into
the bedrock to the statues hidden behind the museum, the site revealed new
treasures. Despite the conspicuous display of power in the architecture and
sculptures, their designers had gone out of their way to depict friendship
and joy. The gentle touch of a noble's hand on his colleague's shoulder, or
hands joined in friendship, speak volumes of the true nature of the
Persian's power.
Author Howard Lee appears on Iranian
TV Channel 3
Howard Lee was interviewed by
Iran's
Channel 3 TV channel during a visit to Persepolis in July 2008.
The interview, conducted in Farsi, explored the author's impressions of
Persepolis and its significance to the world. The interview was broadcast
along with the opinions of other visitors to Persepolis on July 22 AM. The
channel is often referred to as the youth channel, due to its large amounts
of programming dedicated to sports. The channel broadcast major Iranian
sport events, mini-series, comedies, and movies (both foreign and domestic).
The channel is believed to be the most popular and widely viewed of the
major television channels in Iran (Source:
Wikipedia).
"Jamshid and the Lost Mountain of
Light" featured in Family Magazine Group
The
Family Magazine Group featured"Jamshid and the
Lost Mountain of Light" in its
May edition. The Family Magazine Group has
titles in the Los Angeles,
South Bay, Ventura, Santa Clarita Valley, San Gabriel Valley and Las Vegas areas
in the USA. The books that they feature in these special issues are eagerly
anticipated by their readers, and serve as the magazine's recommendations for
their purchases.
Ancient Persia comes alive in the
classroom for Persian New Year
Children in one New Jersey elementary school
experienced Persia ancient and modern as author Howard Lee shared Persian
New Year traditions with the class. Persian New Year is also called "Nowruz"
and has been celebrated by Iranians and Kurds for over two thousand
years. For the lesson, Lee explained the meaning of the traditional "Haft
Seen" or "Seven Ss" including garlic, vinegar, coins, apples, sumac, green
sprouts and a hyacinth plant. The first-grade children then practised
writing their names in modern Farsi (Persian) before moving on to ancient
Persian cuneiform. Boys and girls recreated the work of scribes in the
palaces of Ancient Persia by creating patterns of wedge-shaped impressions,
representing their names, into clay tablets with "writing reeds". This
system of writing sustained an empire of three million square miles more
than two millennia ago.
Enchanting New Children’s Book Teaches
Life and History Lessons
Author Howard Lee live on BBC Radio
Suffolk for Super Tuesday
As a Foreign Correspondent for BBC Radio Suffolk, Lee
was called to give live commentary on the voting excitement for the "Super
Duper Tuesday" primary elections.
BeyondPersia.com features Howard Lee
One of the newest online venues for Contemporary
Iranian-American artists has included a
section on author Howard Lee. BeyondPersia.com
aims to build a social Network around Iranian American/ex-patriot Artists living
anywhere outside of their homeland.
2007
Howard Lee joins Rotary lecture circuit
Howard Lee has been speaking to Rotarians about his
book "Jamshid and the Lost Mountain of Light" as well explaining the many
influences of Ancient Persia on western culture today. Armed with knowledge
gained during the research for his book, reconstructions of Persepolis from
www.Persepolis3D.com, and his own photographs taken in Iran,
Howard makes the case that Ancient Persia had a profound influence on
western culture.
Persian culture comes to the classroom
As Persians the world over celebrate their new year
with the Spring Equinox, few Americans know about the traditions of Nowruz.
Howard Lee brings the traditional "Haft Sin" to the classroom and explains
the symbolism of each item. He explains the science of the equinox using a
globe, and then the kids get to write their names in clay tablets in Ancient
Persian Cuneiform with "writing reeds" and also on paper in modern Farsi.
Howard Lee was
presented with the Persian Golden Lioness Award for the Best
Children's Book in Budapest on October 27th.
The author and the other awardees were brought
to the Corinthia Grand Hotel Royal in a motorcade of
stretch-limousines with a police escort, but before they could step
onto the red carpet there was a minor traffic incident. A local
Budapest motorist apparently ignored the police escort and drove
into the side of one of the limousines. Nobody was hurt but the
event delayed the start of the proceedings. The event was opened by
the hosts and founders of the award, Dr. M. Dorbayani and his wife
Dr. Marjan Abdi. Celebrity
Omid Djalili gave the opening
address, and Howard received the first award of the evening.
After thanking
the WAALM for his award, and His wife and family for
supporting and inspiring him, Howard said:
"I
am so relieved that my book has been well received by Persians -
it is perhaps risky for someone from one culture to create
within the heritage of another, but I believe there is so much
in Iranian culture to inspire new art.
When I first saw
Takht-e-Jamshid I was overwhelmed by the size, the elegance and
the sophistication of the buildings. I marvelled at the
civilization that created such splendour two and a half
millennia ago. But, in my research, I came to realize that the
palaces, the sculptures, the canals and the roads, even the
armies were not what made the Achaemenid Persians great.
Those were just by-products. What really made them great were
their core values. They up-held truth, they lived by the rule of
law, and they promoted tolerance. It seems to me that those
Persian values are universal civilized values that are reflected
in the ideals of secular democracy and also in the Islamic
values of compassion, mercy, and justice. For where is
compassion without tolerance? Where is justice without truth?
Looking at this
beautiful statuette, it’s ironic that this beast, a mythical one
at that, represents human creativity so well. To me this award
stands for the triumph of individual expression over politics,
over background, over geography, over history, over prejudice.
To me this award celebrates heritage and how it enriches us,
all of us. To me this award celebrates the creativity and
imagination that flow from humanity at its best. That is why I
am humbled to receive this"
Omid Djalili,
(whose movie credits include “Casanova,” “Over
The Hedge,” “Gladiator,” “The Mummy,” and “Modigliani”) received the
award for Best Actor.
Shohreh Aghdashloo(“X Men: The Last Stand,” “The
Lake House,” “American Dreamz,” and nominated for an Oscar in 2004
for her role in the film "House of Sand and Fog") accepted her award
for Best Actress by video, as did
Dr. Azar Nafisi
awarded for her bestseller "Reading Lolita in Tehran". Non-Iranians
who have also contributed to Persian-related culture were also
awarded, including the legendary British star
Vanessa Redgrave(“Howard’s End”, “Camelot”) and
British costume designer
Jane Robinson(“Spartacus”, “Egypt”) both of whom recently
worked in the movie: "The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam",
directed by
Kayvan Mashayekh,
recipient of the award for Best Director.
Hungarian Pop idols
NOX received an award, as did Israeli World Music
Icon
The Idan Raichel Project. New
Yorker
Monika Jalili received the
award for Best Soprano, and gave a stunning performance of
traditional Persian songs sung in flawless Farsi despite not being a
native speaker of Farsi.
In this high-profile
international event, the organizers emphasized not only a civilized
Iranian heritage of thousands of years, but also how the artistic
fusion of Persian and Western influences is a rich vein of
inspiration today.
Author Howard Lee will be awarded the 2006
Persian Golden Lioness Award for Excellence in Literature: Children's books,
for his novel "Jamshid and the Lost Mountain of Light" . The Persian
Golden Lioness Awards are sometimes referred to as
"The Iranian Oscars"
because they recognize outstanding contributions to Persian-related arts,
literature, and media in a glitzy black-tie ceremony. Recipients receive a
golden winged lioness statuette, modeled after a 2500-year-old Ancient
Persian design. This is the second year of the awards. The 2006 recipients
in the Literature category include Bruce Bahmani for his
innovative graphic novel presentation of "Rostam
tales from the Shahnameh" based on Ferdowsi's classic 10th
century epic, and
Dr. Azar Nafisi, author of "Reading Lolita
in Tehran". The Golden Lioness winners include Vanessa Redgrave and Jane
Robinson who recently starred in the movie:
"The Keeper", directed by Kayvan Mashayekh, another nominee.
Other celebrity awardees include
Omid Djalili, Britain's only Iranian
stand-up comedian and actor, who stars as "Tiger" in the 2006 movie
"Over The Hedge", and Shohreh Aghdashloo
who was nominated for an Oscar for her role in the film
"House of Sand and Fog".
On hearing the news, Howard Lee responded: "I am
amazed and thrilled by my nomination for this award! I would be
delighted to attend the ceremony with my wife Mojgan. I am honored to have
been considered". The Kenya-born British author was inspired to write the
children's book after a visit to Persepolis in Iran, with his Persian wife
and their young son. It was the sight of his son Daniel gazing through the
very windows that his historical namesake had gazed through some 2500 years
ago, that inspired the book. The story is set in the Ancient Persian capitol
in the reign of Darius the Great, and is part historical fiction, part
fantasy as it features the mythical creatures that appear in the art of the
time. Howard lives in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey USA, with his wife
and two sons. The 2006 awards ceremony will be held in Budapest,
Hungary, in October 2006. "Jamshid and the Lost Mountain of Light" is
available online through the website:
www.jamshid.gb.com.
Howard Lee
interviewed by Zoe Rastegar for the Accent TV talk show
Zoe Rastegar interviewed Howard Lee about the book
"Jamshid and the Lost Mountain of Light" for her talk show "Accent". Accent is a cross-cultural forum promoting the
rich Iranian heritage while bridging the gap among diverse cultures through
cultural education and communication. Accent also focuses on the young
generation of Iranian- Americans celebrating their successes and their
contributions to their societies. The TV show serves the Washington DC Metro
area, and the interview with Howard Lee will air between March 6 and March
18.
DARIUS KADIVAR interviews Howard Lee
for Payvand.com
"The literary world and its critics
are often baffled to discover a new and powerful author they would have
otherwise ignored. This has been the case of James M.Barrie with Peter Pan,
Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, or JK Rowling’s Harry Potter
sequels. British author Howard Lee certainly belongs to this category of
gifted writers. Jamshid and the lost mountain of light is one of the most
enchanting children's books to have caught attention of English readers of English,
American or Iranian origin."
"What is amazing in your book is the way you give
life to the limestone statues we can see today in Persepolis : the protocol
at the royal court of King Darius, the people, their customs, what they
celebrated, their beliefs or what they ate"
"I particularly liked the battle scenes in your
book between the mythological animals the Karibu and the flying Griffin
Ghoreed or the secret landing on the Persian Gulf shores of the Egyptian
Army led by the villainous Vizier Suliaman. It reminded me of some of Ray
HarryHausen’s classic films that personally delighted me as a kid such as
Jason and the Argonauts or The Golden Voyage of Sinbad or more recently like
in the Swords and Sandals film Troy with Brad Pitt."
"Jamshid and the Lost Mountain of
Light" in British Museum for landmark exhibition
"Jamshid and the Lost Mountain of Light"
has been ordered by the British Museum for the landmark exhibition: "Forgotten
Empire - the world of Ancient Persia".
The book provides a unique children's perspective on this era of world
history, portraying the sophistication of the Achaemenid Persian Empire.
This opinion matches the theme of the British Museum's exhibition, and runs counter to the barbarian image of the Persians that was
handed to western civilization by the Ancient Greeks. Reviews of the
exhibition are finding this new, positive way of looking at the Ancient
Persians a revelation.
Howard Lee was interviewed by PersianMIRROR.com,
the online magazine for Persian weddings, cuisine, culture and community:
"Marrying an Iranian woman inspired this
British author to delve into the beautiful history of Persia. After a visit
to Iran and some extensive research, Howard Lee decided to tell the story of
Jamshid. A big part of the storytelling for Howard was the illustrations
which are depicted in this book and really help tell the story."
"Jamshid and the Lost Mountain of
Light" reaches readers across the globe
Readers from across the globe have been buying
"Jamshid and the Lost Mountain of Light"
online.
The book has been bought in states across the USA, as well as Canada,
Australia, Switzerland, Spain, The Netherlands, and the UK.
Author Howard Lee was interviewed live on BBC
Radio Suffolk's Afternoon Show for World Book Day, March
3rd! Presenter Rachel Sloane asked Howard about his inspiration for
the book, as well as his connections with Suffolk, Persia, and New Jersey.
"Jamshid and the lost Mountain of
Light" becomes most popular children's book on cafepress.com!
Within a week of first launch, "Jamshid and
the Lost Mountain of Light" was the most popular selling
children's book on the popular Cafepress.com site! The book was the most
popular out of 38 current titles.
"Jamshid and the Lost Mountain of
Light" featured in iranian .com arts and literature section.
The well-known web channel for expatriate Iranians,
iranian.com, features excerpts of "Jamshid and the Lost Mountain of
Light" in its Arts and Literature section. Iranian.com is viewed
some 200,000 times a month by people from all over the globe, primarily
in the USA.
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