Khaled Hosseini and Firoozeh DumasConversation, Part 2

Funny in Farsi
by Firoozeh Dumas

(Page 4 of 4)

KH: How has your life changed since the publication of Funny in Farsi?

FD: Because of Funny in Farsi, I have traveled throughout the United States and met thousands of people. I have spoken in churches, Jewish temples, Islamic centers, and schools. I have always believed that there are far more good people in this world than bad ones and that most people want to be reminded of our shared humanity rather than our differences. Since the publication of Funny in Farsi, my theory has been thoroughly proven. And Khaled, don't get jealous, but I get the best emails. Because many schools throughout the United States are now using Funny in Farsi in the classroom, I get a lot of emails from twelveto eighteen-year-olds, and they say things like, "You are the best writer ever!" I write them back and I say, "You are so astute!" Even though Funny in Farsi is my story, it's essentially a universal tale of being an outsider. If you've gone through adolescence, you've been there. I get e-mails from teachers all the time telling me that even their students who normally do not read loved reading Funny in Farsi. That makes my day every time. Adult readers tend to invite me to their home. I get a lot of "If you are ever in the Saint Louis area, our spare bedroom is yours!" It's very, very sweet.

KH: What are you working on now?

FD: I just wrote a piece for the New York Times humor section, and I've been editing a book for UC Berkeley's International House about the effects of September 11 on ten individuals. Truth is, I am itching to write my next book but I am currently traveling full time. I have a bunch of stories in my head, so I am just waiting for a lull in my schedule so I can put them down on paper.

KH: You remembered so many details from your childhood. Did you keep a diary growing up, or could you simply tap into your own memories for this book, as I did in my own?

FD: I was always that quiet kid in a room full of adults that everyone forgot about. I have always listened and observed, so when I started writing, details just flooded back to me. And every time I finished a story, another popped up in its place. It was like using a vending machine: the candy falls down and is immediately replaced by another.

KH: On the surface, at least, there is very little about politics in

FD: One of the biggest problems I have faced as an Iranian in America is that no one knows much about Iran except what is on the evening news. Politics has grossly overshadowed humanity in the Middle East and I wanted to write a book that would shine the light on humanity. When I speak at schools, I often ask the students what they think of when they hear the words "Middle East," and they all say "war" or "terrorism." That's like someone saying that when they hear "America," they think of the Ku Klux Klan. So I always make sure that when I'm visiting schools, I sing "Happy Birthday" in Persian and I remind them that our commonalities far outweigh our differences. They get it.

KH: "Are you Afghan or American or a hyphenated person?" I ask you this question because I get it all the time. So, do you think of yourself as Iranian or American?

FD: There are parts of me that are Iranian and parts of me that are American. I can't cook for just four people; I'm always thinking, "What if someone drops by?" And when I married my husband, I told him that when my parents get old they will move in with us. That's my Iranian side. If I receive good service somewhere, I always write the management and tell them, and if I receive bad service, I let them know too. That's my American side. And I vote in every election. That's my American side combined with the fear of facing my father.

KH: Are you - and if so how - trying to instill your Iranian culture in your kids? How about French culture?

FD: Of course, it's very important for me to have children who are familiar with their heritage. But more important, I wanted my children to be citizens of the world. That's easy for us since we live in the Bay Area and have friends from all over. We have always discussed other countries and religions, and my children have no fear of people who are different than they are. They think it's normal to have a dinner party with half a dozen different accents. They also grew up thinking that dim sum, pad thai, and chicken tandoori are as ordinary to other kids as pizza or chicken strips.

I always spoke Persian to my children when they were little. Unfortunately, I do not have family near me, so once my children started school they insisted on speaking English. I didn't really fight because there are enough battles between parents and children and you have to choose them carefully. I hope someday they can spend some time in Iran so they can once again learn Persian.

My children love Persian food. Who doesn't? And they are crazy about my extended family. When they were little, family gatherings scared them. All that cheek pinching and enthusiastic kissing was too much for them, but they have come to see beyond that and appreciate how much my family loves them.

As far as their French side, my husband has instilled a love of all things French, ranging from food, even escargots (!), to movies to songs. We have traveled several times to France and plan to go there more often now that we have reconciled with his family. My husband's lucky because he can go back his hometown and not much has changed. Abadan no longer exists as I know it, because it was heavily bombed during the Iran-Iraq war.

KH: Any funny book-tour stories?

FD: Every author has an event that goes terribly wrong. I was invited as a keynote speaker to an event where I was told there would be five thousand junior high kids. This was a non profit organization with no budget, so I bought my own plane ticket, thinking that the high volume book sales would more than make up for my expense. Once I got there, I found out that they had allotted five minutes for my speech and that instead of five thousand kids, five hundred showed up. I had arranged with a bookseller to bring six hundred books. This bookseller had also sent four employees.

When I went to speak, we realized the microphone did not work. They just said, "Speak loudly." It was an outdoor event. I spent the day sitting behind a stack of six hundred books. People kept walking toward us enthusiastically; then we realized we were seated in front of the booth that sold funnel cakes. We sold two copies of Funny in Farsi. I treated the four book sellers to dinner and apologized profusely. And I helped them put the 598 copies of Funny in Farsi back in the boxes.

Copyright © 2003 by Firoozeh Dumas. Excerpted by permission of Random House Trade Paperbacks, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

About the Author

Firoozeh Dumas graduated from the University of California at Berkeley. She lives with her husband and children in Northern California.