I finally returned to Iran in 1979, when I got my degree in English and American literature, and stayed for 18 years in the Islamic republic.

Living in the Islamic Republic is like having sex with someone you loathe.

For more than 30 years the Islamic regime and its apologists have tried to dismiss women's struggle in Iran as part of a western ploy.

The best work of literature to represent the American Dream is 'The Great Gatsby' by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It shows us how dreaming can be tainted by reality, and that if you don't compromise, you may suffer.

My master's degree was in English literature.

When I first left Iran at the age of 13, Iran had become such a shining star - it was the point to which all my desires and dreams returned.