The dearer a book was to my heart, the more battered and bruised it became.

The dearer a book was to my heart, the more battered and bruised it became.

You need imagination in order to imagine a future that doesn't exist.

I'm a perfectly equipped failure.

Visa for Avalon is a testament to the power of fiction. It illuminates the truth at the heart of what is commonly called reality. This account of lives transformed and ruined by the triumph of a totalitarian rule is a timely reminder of how moral and intellectual laziness and apathy can pave the road to the reign of terror brought on by such a system.

Those in the west who dismiss the repressiveness of laws against women in countries like Iran, no matter how benign their intentions, present a condescending view not just of the religion but also of women living in Muslim majority countries, as if the desire for choice and happiness is the monopoly of women in the west.

It is amazing how, when all possibilities seem to be taken away from you, the minutest opening can become a great freedom.