Nafisi Profile

Azar Nafisi finds out that success comes with a few strings attached.

Ms. Nafisi, 54, is learning the pitfalls and conundrums of playing the fame game in her adopted country as she contends with her corporate handlers, her book club fans and jealous former countrymen. “I thought I can live with the snide remarks: `Look at her wanting to become a celebrity, yada yada,’ ” she said. “That is not pleasant, but you can live with it. But one thing I can’t live with, which I would criticize, is to be in competition with my book. A writer should allow the work to speak for itself.” Still, when Random House, her publisher, encouraged her to take part in a marketing campaign for Audi, sponsored by Conde Nast, she agreed. After all, in exchange for her participation, for which she was not paid, Audi is sponsoring literary events in five cities. “This seemed a good chance to talk about the causes I like to a wider audience,” Ms. Nafisi said.

Read the New York Times article here. Link via Maud (who’s on fire this morning, by the way.)