From the Devil, Learned and Burned

From the Devil, Learned and Burned is a work of fiction based on an incredible true story. ‎Written in the form of a diary, the narrative tells us of the life of Volga between the years ‎‎1998 and 2001. Volga is a homeless Christian woman who lost her home many years ago ‎when her fanatic of a Muslim husband threw her out onto the streets of Tehran. Volga ‎believes in the independence of women and does not surrender to the prevailing idea in her ‎society that a woman cannot live on her own and must be dependent on a man. As the tale ‎unfolds, the reader is not only drawn into her story, but is also forced to confront the realities ‎of a life lived in the cracks between different societies and cultures. In her struggles, Volga ‎encounters and tackles a great number of issues which are controversial not just in the Iranian ‎society, but in many other parts of the world: lack of a sound social welfare system to help ‎the most vulnerable; independent financial stability for women; and discrimination on the ‎basis of religion or gender. This powerful narrative illustrates not only the struggle of one ‎strong and resourceful woman in Iran, but also the extent to which societal structures – in any ‎country – can influence an individual’s life chances and alter their fate.‎