Iranian Literature

by MOHAMMAD MEHDI KHORRAMI, PH.D.

At the end of the last dialogue session, Mrs. Daad tells Deborah Whitley that she is going to send her a book of poems by Hafez, one of Iran's greatest poets. This gesture indicates the desire to continue the conversation. Indeed, literature in Iran has always been used as a major medium of communication. This gesture also indicates the enormous popularity of classical poetry in Iran.

In fact, until the end of nineteenth century, poetry was the dominant literary form of expression. It was considered the greatest art of all. The most important figures of Iran's classical literature are poets such as Ferdowsi (940-1020), Sa'di (c. 1220-c. 1290), Rumi (1207-1273), and Hafez (c. 1320-c. 1390). Their works have been translated in all major languages. (A new translation of Rumi's poems by Coleman Barks has sold more than two hundred fifty thousand copies in less than two years.)

The tradition of poetry in Iran has kept its importance in twentieth century through great poets such as Nima Yushij (1895-1960), Mehdi Akhavan-Sales (1928-1990), Ahmad Shamlu (b. 1926), Forugh Farrokhzad (1935-1967), and Sohrab Sepehri (1928-1980), who revolutionized traditional forms and founded Iran's modern poetry. However, since the end of nineteenth century, prose has acquired more attention. Authors such as Ali Akbar Dehkhoda (1879-1956), Mohammad Ali Jamalzadeh (1892-1997), and later Sadegh Hedayat (1903-1951) contributed in forging a simple prose language which could accesible ordinary people. This modern prose enabled short story tellers and novelists to use literature to engage readers in socio-political issues of the society. Censorship was the "natural" consequence of this literature engagé and writers' prosecution followed soon after. During the reign of Pahlavi dynasty (1926-1979) many poets and writers spent years in prison.

The 1979 Islamic Revolution was followed by a literary revolution. Although the combination of "pure" literary values and political concerns continued their existence in the post-revolutionary literature, this period was marked by the desire to redefine oneself in that changed society. Indeed, this desire, or rather need, is an outcome common to any revolution but Iranians chose literature as one of the major vehicles of expressing this need. In a very short period of time a surprising number of novels and short stories were published. It is also noteworthy that women's involvement in literary production has increased to an unprecedented degree and their works represent a major aspect of the new identity of Persian literature. This new identity is blend of traditional and modern trends, and its scope is determined by local and universal concerns.

There have been obstacles to the ongoing process of constructing this new identity. After a short period of time the Islamic Republic of Iran began practicing censorship and many writers and poets, under the increasing pressure from the government, had to go into exile. These obstacles slowed down the re-defining process only temporarily. Many great works that have been published in the past two decades, and many others which are in the making, will no doubt define the last quarter of the twentieth century as one of the golden ages of Persian literature.

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Here are a few suggestions for those who would like to learn about Persian language and literature. They are all in English.

Aryanpur, M., "Retrospect and Progress: A Short View of Modern Persian Literature." World Literature Today 46 (1972).

Bailey, H.W., "The Persian Language." The Legacy of Persia. Edited by A.J. Arberry. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1953)

Hillmann, M., comp. and ed. Major Voices in Contemporary Persian Literature. Literature East and West 20 (1980). Contains a bibliography of secondary sources and translations.

Karimi-Hakkak, comp. and tr. An Anthology of Modern Persian Poetry (Boulder: Westview, 1978)

Yarshater, E., "The Development of Iranian Literatures." Persian Literature (New York: Bibliotheca Persica, 1988)

Editor. Persian Literature. New York: Bibliotheca Persica, 1988. Contains a "Select Bibliography of Translations from Persian Literature."

Moayyed, H., ed. Stories From Iran; A Chicago Anthology, Mage Publishers Inc., 1997.

The Literary Review, Fall 1996, Volume 40, no. 1 (Persian Literature in Exile)

Many works of Persian literature have been translated into English. English translation of the works of the following poets and writes can be found in any major library in the United States.

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I) Major figures of Persian Classical Poetry

Ferdowsi (940-1020): Shahnameh

'Omar Khayyam (1048-1131): Robaiyyat

Jalal-al din Rumi (1207-1273)

Sa'di (c. 1220-c. 1290)

Hafez (c. 1320-c. 1390)

 

II) Major figures of Modern Persian Literature

Sadeq Hedayat (1903-1951)

Nima Yushij (1895-1960)

Forugh Farrokhzad (1935-1967)

Jalal Al-e Ahmad (1923-1969)

Sohrab Sepehri (1928-1980)

Gholamhoseyn Sa'edi (1935/6-1985)

Mehdi Akhavan-e Sales (1928-1990)

Mohammad Ali Jamalzadeh (1892-1997)

Bozorg Alavi (1904-1997)

Sadeq Chubak (1916-1998)

Ahmad Shamlu

Nader Naderpur

Hushang Golshiri

Esma'il Kho'i

Mahmud Dowlatabadi

Simin Daneshvar

Shahrnush Parsipur

Moniru Ravanipur

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Mohammad Mehdi Khorrami, Ph.D. is a professor of Persian Literature and Language at New York University.