CafeLit 60:Iran election, To vote or not to vote?

Subject: Iran election, To vote or not to vote?
Date: 6 March 2008
A free debate by CafeLit.

CafeLit 59: Cosmology: Story of the Cosmos and other tales

Subject: "Cosmology: Story of the Cosmos and other tales"
Presented By: Omid Saremi
Date: 28 Feb. 2008

Theoretical physics over the past century has drastically shifted the way we perceive the physical world. Physicists seem to be a few steps closer to a convincing answer to a few longstanding-some as old as humanity itself-questions about the universe. Was there a beginning or will there be an end for our universe? Or our universe is Eternal? In order to
answer questions like above, modern physicists have invented a new theory called "string theory". In string theory electrons and other particles in nature are not point like objects rather they are little vibrating strings.

Cafe Lit 58: Iranian feminism

Subject: Iranian feminism
Present by: Mona Tajali
Date: 21 Feb. 2008

The presentation was divided into two periods of women's movements before and after the Iranian Revolution of 1979. It was analyzed that Iranian feminism rose in the frameworks of nationalism and modernity, which tended to be elitist. However such discourse transformed after the revolution, and demand for enhanced women's rights was taken up by the common women/men, many of them in the framework of Islam, with particular emphasis on reform of discriminatory laws and mass-education.

Cafe Lit 57: Samad Behrangy

Subject: Samad Behrangy, ( The Little black fish, Olduz and the story teller doll)
Presented by: Sara Fadaee
Date: 14 Feb. 2008

Samad Behrangi was born in the city of Tabriz, Azerbaijan province. He received his early education in Tabriz and graduated from high school in 1957. After that, for eleven years, he taught in the rural districts of Azerbaijan, familiarizing villagers, especially children and youth, to books and libraries. Behrangi wrote for children. Behrangi believed that children should be confronted with the realities of their own lives. "The Little Black Fish" (1968) is his most well-known work.

Cinematheque II: Annie Hall by Woody Allen

Annie Hall by Woody Allen

Introduction by: Hesam Ghasemi
Date: Sunday 10th Feb. 2008
Time: 15:00

Annie Hall is an Academy Award-winning, 1977 romantic comedy film directed by Woody Allen from a script he co-wrote with Marshall Brickman. It is one of Allen's most popular films: it won numerous awards at the time of its release, and in 2002 Roger Ebert referred to it as "just about everyone's favorite Woody Allen movie".^[1] Allen had previously been known as a maker of zany comedies; the director has described Annie Hall as "a major turning point", as it brought a new level of seriousness to his work, in addition to consolidating his signature cinematic style, which includes long, realistically written scenes of conversation, often shot in uninterrupted takes, and an equal thematic investment in both hilarity and heartbreak.

Cafe Lit 56: Fire in Iranian Myths - Persepolis

Subject: "Fire in Iranian Mythology" + The movie "Persepolis"by "Marjan Satrapy"
Date: 7 Feb. 2008
Presentation by : Reza Assasi

Reza starts the session with an interesting introduction on fire on Iranian Mythology and mentioned some poems of Shahnameh about the discovery of the fire by Hooshang and talked about the symbolism of fire and SADEH celebration.

The session continued with a hot discussion on the movie Persepolis and many questions on the advantages and disadvantages of the movie for Iranian nation outside of their country.
We can continue the discussion here on Comment box.

Cafe Lit 55: All the Shah's Men II

Subject : All the Shah's Men : An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror written by Stephen Kinzer

Presented by: Iman dayarian
Date: 31 Jan 2008

we continued the book of previous session more focused on Nationalization of the Oil. The discussion were whole the subject of Mosaddegh and if he have made any mistake.

Cafe Lit. 54: All the Shah's men I

Subject : All the Shah's Men : An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror written by Stephen Kinzer

Presented by: Iman dayarian
Date: 24 Jan 2008

Iman have talked about the history of oil in Iran and
and he continued till the beginning of Mossadegh prime ministry.
Because of the lack of time we will continue the subject next week.

Cafe Lit 53 (1st. ANNIVERSARY)

Subject: Café Littéraire (ANNIVERSARY )
Date: 17 Jan 2008
Presented by :Café Littéraire


In our first anniversary of Café Littéraire we have talked about the History and origin of such a Cafes in the World and
Iran and have discussed about the weaknesses and strengths of our group. We continued the celebration session in a Bar.

Cinémathèque I: A Woman Under the Influence

A Woman Under the Influence (1974 ) by John Cassavetes

Introduction by: Khatereh Khodaei
Date: Sunday 13th Jan. 2008
Time: 14:30

A Woman Under the Influence (1974) is a film written and directed by John Cassavetes. It tells the story of a young wife and mother's uninhibited, erratic, psychotic behavior which leads her violent, confused husband to commit her for psychiatric treatment, leaving the family even more dysfunctional than before. The film stars Peter Falk, Gena Rowlands, Fred Draper, Lady Rowlands, Katherine Cassavetes, Matthew Laborteaux, Matthew Cassel and Christina Grisanti.

Cafe Lit 52: Michel Foucault

Subject: Michel Foucault
Date: Thursday 10 Jan 2008
Presented by: Khatereh Khodaei

Khatereh talked about Foucault biography and she explained one his famous terms, Biopower, and we discussed about the concept afterward.

Cafe Lit 51:"The history of Islamic school of thought"

Subject: "The history of Islamic school of thought"
Presented by : Ali Shirazi
Date: Thursday , 3 Jan 2008

He gave a very short presentation on the origin of this school and its main characteristics and influences on other schools of thought, following with only naming some icons of the Islamic school of thought including, Al Kindi, Farabi, Ibn Sina, Ibn Roshd, Ibn Bajjah, Suhrewardy, Ibn Arabi and Sadredine Shirazi (Molla Sadra).

Cafe Lit. 50: Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Subject: Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Date: 27 Dec. 2007 (Thursday)
Presented by: Mehdi Keshtkar
This session Marquez's biography and his works were reviewed.
The novel, "Memories of My Melancholy Whores" of Marquez were discussed.

Cafe Lit. 49: Yalda Night

Subject : Yalda Night
Presented by: Reza Assasi
Date: 20 Dec. 2007 (Thursday)


We celebrated Yalda together by introducing the myth of Yalda and its origin and reading Hafiz.

Cafe Lit. 48: Short Story

Subject: Short Story
Date: 13 Dec. 2007 (Thursday)
Presented by: Cafe Litteraire

Khatereh Khodayi read the poem "Apple" by Hamid Mosadegh.
Pasha Javadi read a short story called pink-cloud written by Alireza Mahmoudi Iranmehr.
Also Mehdi Keshtkar read the "story of my glasses" by Rasoul Parvizi.
The session finished by two poems of Ahmad shmalou whose birthday was 83 years ago the day before our session.

Cafe Lit. 47: Intellectual lacks in Iran constitutional revolution

Subject:Intellectual lacks in Iran constitutional revolution

Presented by: Dr. Ata Hoodashtian

Date: Thursday 6 Dec. 2007

Cafe Lit. 46: Persian myths and mythology

Subject: Persian myths and mythology
Presenter: Mehdi Keshtkar
Date: 29 Nov. 2007
This session we have continued with a brief introduction to Persian myths.

Cafe Lit. 45:First contacts of Iran with western culture

Subject: First contacts of Iran with western culture (in 19th century)
Presented by: Dr. Ata Hoodashtian

Date: Thursday 22 Nov. 2007

Cafe Lit. 44: Turko-Persian Tradition

Subject: Turko-Persian Tradition
Date: 15 Nov. 2007
Presented by: Behzad Mostowfi


we will talk about some developments in the history of a distinctive culture that arose, flourished for several hundred years, and then seemed to fade in early modern times as European influences were imposed upon it. Torko-Persian Islamicate culture, as it will be called here, is an ecumenical mix of Arabic, Persian, and Turkic elements that melded in the ninth and tenth centuries in eastern Iran (Greater Khorasan). From there it was carried by conquering peoples to neighboring areas, so that it eventually became the predominant culture of ruling and elite classes of West, Central and South Asia. In this introduction the origins and history of this culture is introduces and its significant influence on on forming the North West Iran is discussed

Cafe Lit. 43: Philosophy of History

Subject: Philosophy of History
Date: 8 Nov. 2007
Presented by : Mehhdi Keshtkar, Mohammad Larijani, Pasha Javadi


We discussed about the Myths, History and what is history.

The definition of myth, the philosophy beyond the myths, the advantages of studying myths and mythology and an introduction on Iranian myths was presented. This was an introductory session for starting our weekly reviewing and introducing myths of different nations. We will start with Iranian myths in coming session and then will continue the job with Greek and Roman myths every week at the beginning of each session. So the myths and mythology will be a serial program of Cafe Literature which will be presented at the beginning of each session.

why we like to read History and reliability of narrations, histories and stories was the other part of this session. Different methodologies for studying and looking at history was presented. Finally the role of narrator and how different parameters can influence the reality and truth in history was introduced from a psychological point of view.

Cafe Lit. 42: Cyrus the great

Subject : Cyrus the great and Achaemenid Empire
Date: 1st Nov. 2007
Presented by : Majid Fekri

Cafe Lit. 41: Sigmund Freud & Freudian Psychoanalysis

Subject: Sigmund Freud & Freudian Psychoanalysis
Date: 20:00 25 Oct. 2007
Presented by: Pasha Javadi

Sigmund Freud, physiologist, medical doctor and father of psychoanalysis, is generally recognised as one of the most influential and authoritative thinkers of the twentieth century. He articulated and refined the concepts of the unconscious, of infantile sexuality, of repression, and proposed a tri-partite account of the mind's structure, all as part of a new conceptual frame of reference for the understanding of human psychological development and the mental conditions. Freud's innovative treatment of human actions, dreams, and indeed of cultural artefacts as invariably possessing implicit symbolic significance has proven to be extraordinarily fecund, and has had massive implications for a wide variety of fields, including anthropology, semiotics, and artistic creativity and appreciation in addition to psychology. However, Freud's most important and frequently re-iterated claim, that with psychoanalysis he had invented a new science of the mind, remains the subject of much critical debate and controversy.

Cafe Lit. 40: Vipassana & Buddhism

Subject: Vipassana & Buddhism
Date: 18 Oct. 2007
Present by: Mohammad Larijani

Vipassana, which means to see things as they really are, is one of India's most ancient techniques of meditation which was rebuilt by Buddha. It was taught in India more than 2500 years ago as a universal remedy for universal ills, i.e., an Art of Living.¨

This non-sectarian technique aims for the total eradication of mental impurities and the resultant highest happiness of full liberation. Healing, not merely the curing of diseases, but the essential healing of human suffering, is its purpose.

Cafe Lit. 39: Fereidoon Moshiri

Subject: Fereidoon Moshiri
Date: 11 Oct. 2007
Presented by: Babak Esmaeili



به روز نوجواني 'روي گونه'اولين موي سياه
قلم در دست'بزرگ در سر
عيان بر ديده كردي'عشق پنهانت بيان
كه مهر آمد به پايان '
به آبان كه رسيديم سومش آمد غمان
كه عشق آمد ولي جانت به خاك
Ali Rahnama

Cafe Lit. 38: Legal systems of the world

Subject: "Legal systems of the world" (Nezamhaye hoghooghie donya)
Presented by: Mohammad Larijani
Date: 4 Oct. 2007 at 20:30