the pomegranate lady and her sons

Who was it written by?

Goli Taraghi

When was it written?

2013

What was Goli Taraghi's birth name and where/when was she born?

Zohreh Taraghi-Moghadam; born in Tehran in 1939.

What kind of family background did Taraghi come from?

A well-educated and socially prominent family.

Where did Taraghi travel for college, and what did she study?

Drake University in Iowa (United States), where she studied philosophy.

From which institution did she earn her master's degree, and when?

Tehran University in 1967 (also in philosophy).

What did Taraghi do professionally in Iran during the 1970s?

She taught philosophy at Tehran University.

Why did Taraghi leave Iran after the 1979 Iranian Revolution?

The new theocratic regime frequently targeted academics and writers, especially those who had spent time in the West

Where did Taraghi settle after leaving Iran, and what did she dedicate herself to?

She settled in Paris and dedicated herself to writing fiction.

In what language did Taraghi continue to write her fiction while living abroad?

Persian.

What major theme does Taraghi explore regarding Iranians who remained in Iran?

The challenges of experiencing the political, cultural, and economic transitions created by the 1979 revolution.

What is the title and year of the film Taraghi co-wrote with Dariush Mehrjui?

The Pear Tree (1998).

What psychological duality does Taraghi's work explore concerning diasporic Iranians?

The unique mixture of distance and connection they experience toward their homeland

What is the translation status of most of Taraghi's work into English?

Much of her work remains untranslated into English.

Which short story helped Taraghi gain international prominence, and in what anthology?

"The Grand Lady of My Soul", anthologized in Tablet and Pen: Literary Landscapes from the Modern Middle East (2010).

Who edited the 2010 anthology Tablet and Pen?

Fellow Iranian writer Reza Aslan.

What critically acclaimed short story collection of Taraghi's was published in 2013?

The Pomegranate Lady and Her Sons and Other Stories.

What airport and airline are featured at the beginning of the story?

Mehrabad Airport in Tehran; the airline is Air France (Flight 726).

Why is the narrator initially detained by customs inspectors at the airport?

They spot a suspicious image on the X-ray screen that they call a "murder weapon."

What is the "murder weapon" in reality, and where did the narrator buy it?

A gold-colored battle-ax bought from a junk shop in Isfahan as a gift for her son.

Who is paged to examine and appraise the battle-ax?

Mr. Parrot.

What is the full name, age, and hometown of the old woman who asks the narrator for help?

Anar-Banu (Pomegranate Lady) Chenari; she is eighty-three years old (born in 1917) and from Yazd.

Where is Anar-Banu traveling, and whom is she going to see?

Traveling to Sweden (via Paris) to see her two sons, whom she hasn't seen in ten to twelve years.

What physical assessment does Mr. Parrot make about the battle-ax?

He determines that the ax head is antique, but the handle is new.

What items are crammed inside Anar-Banu's heavy bag?

Boxes of pastries, lengths of taffeta from Yazd, plastic bowls, and plastic bags filled with pomegranates, rice, and pomegranate molasses.

Why is Anar-Banu wearing so many wool clothes all at once?

A village schoolteacher named Soheila Khanom told her that in Sweden, water freezes in the summer and the temperature drops to minus 150 degrees.

What explanation does Anar-Banu give for her name and origin?

She claims she was raised under a pomegranate tree (her mother) next to a sycamore tree (her father), drinking pomegranate juice instead of mother's milk.

How does Anar-Banu describe her older son's political activities and past?

He is angry and obsessed with revenge; he went to prison twice under the Shah's regime, was later hidden in a cellar by Colonel Zamani from Revolutionary Guards, and fled to the mountains.

How does Anar-Banu describe her younger son's lifestyle in Sweden?

He lies to sweet-talk her, dyed his hair blond, plays Western music, and sings at weddings.

According to Anar-Banu, what business does her younger son want to open with her?

An Iranian restaurant called The Pomegranate Lady and Her Sons.

What happens when the plane lands in Paris (Charles de Gaulle Airport)?

The narrator and Anar-Banu must part ways, as Anar-Banu has to change planes to continue to Sweden but is terrified because she cannot read, write, or speak a foreign language.

What final instruction does the narrator give to Anar-Banu at the end of the text?

To walk toward the airline employees and just show them her ticket to get help

Why must the narrator go back into the corridor after reaching the customs line?

A stranger informs her that Anar-Banu is sitting on the floor, unable to walk, and crying out for her.

How does the narrator transport Anar-Banu when she cannot secure a wheelchair?

She uses an open-sided baggage trolley and pushes Anar-Banu forward on it like a bundle of clothes.

Why is Anar-Banu terrified when they reach the escalator?

She sees the stairs moving and panics that she will fall and die, asking instead for "proper stairs" like back home.

How does Anar-Banu get down the escalator?

Two tall foreign men grab her under the arms and carry her down because she is blocking the entrance.

Who ultimately takes over assisting Anar-Banu to Terminal B?

A friendly-looking African porter, whom the narrator pays to take her to the airport bus.

What parting gift does Anar-Banu give to the narrator?

A pomegranate (which she calls the "pomegranate of love").

What shocking discovery does the narrator make three days later while unpacking her clothes?

She finds Anar-Banu's actual airline ticket (Tehran-Paris-Gothenburg) forgotten inside her own coverall pocket.

What happens when the narrator frantically calls the airport to track Anar-Banu down?

The airport workers check the passenger list and inform her that there is no one by the name of Anar-Banu Chenari on the flight.

What does the narrator imagine doing with the pomegranate seeds in her hopeful fantasy?

She imagines planting the seeds in a garden facing the mountains and dividing the fruit among her neighbors so they feel like brothers and sisters.

In the narrator's dream at the end, what new worry does Anar-Banu express about her sons?

She says her sons feel alone in America now and are thinking of moving again, proving they are restless strangers wherever they go

What do we learn about the narrator's specific reasons for being in Iran?

Her reasons are unclear, and the text does not reveal much about her personal life.

What specific travel reality frustrates the narrator at the beginning of the text?

She is frustrated by her "life of constant wandering" and eternal comings and goings.

What orthodox social practices at the airport annoy the narrator?

Entering through the women-only "Sisters Entrance" and adjusting her clothes to meet "acceptable" Islamic coverings.

What do the narrator's annoyances suggest about her political and cultural stance?

She is likely one of the many Iranians alienated by the strict religious policies enforced by the Islamic Republic government after the 1979 Iranian Revolution

How does the narrator initially feel when accosted by Anar-Banu?

She feels annoyed by the elderly woman and her needs.

Where is Anar-Banu's home village located in Iran?

In Yazd, an Eastern province of Iran.

What is unique about this flight for Anar-Banu's personal history?

She has never flown before, nor has she ever left Iran.

What Western/European choices made by her sons completely confuse Anar-Banu?

Marrying white women, dancing, and cutting their hair in Western styles

What is the narrator's initial motivation for helping Anar-Banu board the plane?

More out of a desire to be rid of the woman than out of genuine kindness.

What themes does Anar-Banu narrate during the flight that begin to soften the narrator's attitude?

Her childhood, the death of her late husband, and her deep love for her sons.

In what way does the text become a narrative of "two journeys"?

1. The Pomegranate Lady's journey to new, frightening lands. 2. The narrator's development of a more nuanced, empathetic attitude.

How does the flight transform the characterization of the Pomegranate Lady?

She becomes a three-dimensional figure rather than a stereotype.

What political stances does the text clarify that the Pomegranate Lady does not hold?

She is neither nostalgic for the Shah's pre-revolution regime nor radicalized by the Ayatollah's current theocratic rule

What development deeply frightens Anar-Banu when the plane lands in Paris?

Learning that she must catch a connecting flight to reach her final destination.

What does the narrator's decision to help Anar-Banu to her terminal represent?

A significant ethical development for the narrator.

How does the Pomegranate Lady come to stand in for the narrator's Iranian homeland?

The narrator recognizes her complexity, decency, and humanity, seeing her as a fully formed person rather than a stereotype or a saint.

How does the narrator's final perception of the Pomegranate Lady contrast with her initial annoyance?

Instead of an annoying burden, she looks back and sees "the world's kindest eyes"

What tragic mistake does the narrator discover after settling in at home?

She realizes she accidentally kept the old woman's plane ticket in her own pocket.

What actions does the narrator take to find out if Anar-Banu made it to Sweden?

She frantically calls the airline and various Iranian embassies across Europe, but is unable to learn her whereabouts.

How does the narrator cope with her anxiety over Anar-Banu's unknown fate at the end?

She invents a dream scenario where everything worked out perfectly for the Pomegranate Lady.

What vision of travel does the narrator articulate through her hopeful fantasy?

A vision where journeys are joyful reunions rather than tedious or dangerous treks, making "going away and returning [just] another way to live."

What personal reassurance does the narrator seek through the fantasy of the Pomegranate Lady's survival?

That if the Pomegranate Lady can travel and return without losing herself, it is possible for the narrator to do the same in her life of constant wandering