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In self-titled memoir 'Googoosh,' the Iranian pop star reflects on a life of song and silence

WBUR | By Here & Now Newsroom
Published January 8, 2026 at 10:46 AM CST
The cover of "Googoosh: A Sinful Voice" and author Googoosh. (Courtesy of Brian Bowen Cox)
Courtesy of Brian Bowen Cox
The cover of "Googoosh: A Sinful Voice" and author Googoosh. (Courtesy of Brian Bowen Cox)

Editor’s note: This segment was rebroadcast on March 13, 2026. Find that audio here.

Prior to the 1979 revolution, Iranian singer and actor Googoosh was a pop superstar. But she was jailed by the Islamic Republic and forced to agree to never sing or perform in public. After 20 years of isolation in Iran, she was eventually able to leave and resume her performing career.

Googoosh writes about her life, with Tara Dehlavi, in the new memoir, “Googoosh: A Sinful Voice,” and she joins Peter O’Dowd to talk about it.

Book excerpt: ‘Googoosh: A Sinful Voice’

By Googoosh with Tara Dehlavi

Reprinted with permission of the publisher, Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Copyright © 2025 by Googoosh and Tara Dehlavi. All rights reserved.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2026 WBUR
Here & Now Newsroom