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A Mirror Garden (A Memoir) BOOK REVIEW

THIS IS the first time I've ever tackled the biography of an artist, to be honest I'm more of a fiction fan. But reading about someone else's life is more interesting than one might imagine, especially when that someone is an artist.

Early twentieth century Iran seems to come to life in the first few chapters as the artist, Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, recounts her childhood spent in the city of Qazvin and then later Teheran. In those early years of life her interests lean towards outdoor adventures; she is something of a tomboy. She mourns the loss of a beloved sibling. She goes to school in Teheran. Political changes unsettle their life especially as her father has a government post in the time of the Shah. The descriptions — whether of people, landscapes or situations are brief — never so long as to become tiresome, and are as vivid as pictures. Characters like her first art teacher Mr. Mosavari and school teacher Banu Khanom come across as quirky and appealing.

Her brave move to New York brings with it many new acquaintances, art school, English lessons and a marriage. She exhibits true grit when it breaks up, and bravely brings up her little daugher alone in New York, as she paints and sketches to survive. But true love appears on the scene in the form of Abol Farmanfarmaian, of royal blood. Their story is a sensitive, gentle re-telling of what resembles a fairytale.

Back in Iran she takes up art after a long spell, and works tirelessly towards preserving neglected folk arts like coffeehouse paintings, immersing herself in their collection and painstaking restoration.

Accompanied by black and white photographs and illustrations, the book is a compelling memoir of the artist's creative and personal journey and an engrossing account of the historical changes in Iran over the twentieth century.

Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian in her studio at home in 1975 (photo courtesy 'A Mirror Garden')