When I was teaching at the University of Tehran we were struggling against the implementation of the revolution rules.

Only curiosity about the fate of others, the ability to put ourselves in their shoes, and the will to enter their world through the magic of imagination, creates this shock of recognition. Without this empathy there can be no genuine dialogue, and we as individuals and nations will remain isolated and alien, segregated and fragmented.

Empathy lies at the heart of Gatsby, like so many other great novels-the biggest sin is to be blind to others problems and pains. Not seeing them means denying their existence.

With fear come the lies and the justifications that, no matter how convincing, lower our self-esteem.

Reality has become so intolerable, she said, so bleak, that all I can paint now are the colors of my dreams.

The worst crime committed by totalitarian mind-sets is that they force their citizens, including their victims, to become complicit in their crimes. Dancing with your jailer, participating in your own execution, that is an act of utmost brutality.

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