Baroness Haleh Afshar

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is Baroness Haleh Afshar. An expert in Middle Eastern Affairs, she's a professor of politics and women's studies and Islamic law as well as being a cross-bench peer. She grew up in Iran and France living a life of huge privilege but, inspired by reading Jane Eyre, she decided she needed to learn to stand on her own two feet. She came to Britain as a boarding school pupil when she was 14 and has made her home here.

She has been an outspoken critic of the Iranian regime and, coming from a long line of independent-minded women, that's little surprise. Her mother campaigned for women to have the vote while her grandmother refused to wear the veil. Though in her grandmother's case, that was because she thought she was too pretty to be covered up.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Choices

1.

Shusha

Barun Baruneh / The Rain

Others who chose this artist

2.

Joséphine Baker

J’attendrai (I will wait)

Others who chose this artist

3.

Hassan Golnaraghi

Mara Beboos - original old recording (NOT COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE)

4.

Édith Piaf

Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien

Others who chose this artist

5.

The Beatles

Yellow Submarine

Others who chose this artist

6.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Der Hölle Rache (from The Magic Flute)

Soloist: Lucia Popp Orchestra: The Philharmonia Orchestra Conductor: Otto Klemperer

Others who chose this artist

7.

Castaway's favourite

Johann Sebastian Bach

Suite for Solo Cello No. 1 in G major - 1st movement

Soloist: Jacqueline Du Pré

Others who chose this artist

8.

Bette Midler

Wind Beneath My Wings

Others who chose this artist

Book

Collected poems by Hafiz

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Religious text

Koran

Luxury item

A rose bush

Others who chose a similar luxury