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Did you know that Iran is home to a number of great authors whose works have stood the test of time? Undoubtedly, some of these writers have astonished both Persian and world scholars with their creativity and unique way of perceiving life. Whether it’s novels or poetry, Persian literature has seen pure brilliance over the years, and it is our intention to introduce some of these best-selling authors in the following article.
Best-known Iranian authors
Persian Literature has seen several ups and downs and has been affected by turbulent historical events. However, many artists and writers arose from Iran’s soil and proved that art and literature have no boundaries. These remarkable writers and poets have blessed Persian Literature with their masterful writing styles, creative themes, and soulful works. Some of them are well-known worldwide, and some, unfortunately, might not be household names, but their works are a treasure trove waiting to be discovered.
The following article will introduce some of Iran’s best-selling authors among Persians and the world, including Sadegh Hedayat, Abbas Kiarostami, Forough Farokhzad, Mohammad Ali Jamalzadeh, Mahmoud Dowlatabadi, Simin Daneshvar, and Shahrnush Parsipour. If you wish to learn more about these famous authors and their works, read the following article.
Modern Persian writers
Persian Modern literature withholds significant writers who introduced modernism and its aftermath via their literary works. Although the actual list of writers is very long, here are some of the most significant contemporary writers.
Sadegh Hedayat
Sadegh Hedayat is one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. He was among the first artists to introduce modernist techniques in his fictional stories. He was born into an aristocratic family who sent him to study abroad. At first, he studied dentistry in France and engineering in Belgium. However, the intellectual wave of European culture and literature greatly affected him to the point that he changed his major to Literature. That was when he drowned himself in reading about remarkable writers such as Edgar Allen Poe, Anton Chekhov, Franz Kafka, and many more. Hedayat even translated many of Kafka’s works into Persian. In 1930, he returned to Iran and started publishing his works. Later on, Hedayat became one of the most prominent figures in intellectual circles, especially in the Four, a renowned intellectual group that started with Sadegh Hedayat, Buzurg Alavi, Mojtaba Minavi, and Masoud Farzad. Of course, eventually, other artists and writers joined the group. Hedayat is one of the most prolific Iranian authors with a significant number of translated pieces, short stories, essays, and poems.
His most notable work is the blind owl, which is considered to be one of the critical literary pieces of contemporary literature. In this novel, Hedayat used terrifying surrealistic imagery and his bleak vision to portray the human condition at his time. Being inflicted with melancholy and despair, a young painter, who is also an opium addict, goes through an existential crisis due to the loss of his mysterious lover. The story takes a very dark turn as the young painter eventually gives in to madness.
| Date of Birth | 17 February 1903 |
| Passing Date | 9 April 1951 |
| Resting Place | Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, France |
| Occupation | Writer of Prose Fiction and Short Stories |
| Notable Works |
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Abbas Kiarostami
Although people usually recognize Abbas Kiarostami for his films, It was noteworthy to know that he was also a masterful writer. His screenplays are studied in various film schools worldwide. In addition, Kiarostami was one of the most popular film directors in Iran, and his films and unique perspective on life moved the hearts of many. After graduating from the university with a degree in Fine Arts, Kiarostami began his career as a graphic designer. He started filming his first movie at the age of 30. He is undoubtedly one of the most iconic figures among Persian artists.
| Date of Birth | 22 June 1940 |
| Passing Date | 4 July 2016 |
| Resting Place | Lavasan, Shemiranat, Iran |
| Occupation | Film Director, Screenwriter, Poet, Photographer, and Film Producer |
| Notable Works |
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Abbas Maroufi
Undoubtedly, Abbas Maroufi is one of the greatest writers of contemporary literature. The Persians were deeply shocked and sorry for his passing in 2022. He was born and raised in Tehran and started his career as a school teacher. Later on, he embarked upon his writing journey with a collection of short stories and eventually paved the way to become one of the most significant novel writers of our time. His novel, Symphony of the Dead, is among the most remarkable literary works and has been very popular abroad as well. Unfortunately, During his active years in Iran, he struggled a lot due to political reasons, which ended in his exile to Germany in 1996 for “insulting Islamic Values.” This cruel conviction pushed him into a desperate cycle of self-preservation and self-destruction. Sadly, his heart could not handle such a burden.
| Date of Birth | 17 May 1957 |
| Passing Date | 1 September 2022 |
| Resting Place | Berlin, Germany |
| Occupation | Teacher, Journalist, Writer |
| Notable Works |
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Mohammad Ali Jamalzadeh
Born in Isfahan in a middle-class family, Mohammad Ali Jamalzadeh is mainly recognized as the father of Persian short story writing. Jamalzadeh traveled a lot during his life, and he was able to speak French, German, and Arabic fluently. The experiences he obtained during his travels and his understanding of the world became profound and unique. The influence of these experiences is perfectly projected and visible in his stories. Not only did he write countless beautiful short stories, but he also translated many books into Persian. In addition, Jamalzadeh was nominated for the Nobel Prizes for Literature in 1965, 1967, and 1969. The 1969 Nobel Prize was awarded to Samuel Beckett. Nevertheless, Jamalzadeh, to this day, is one of the greatest Persian Literary icons of the 20th century.
| Date of Birth | 13 January 1892 |
| Passing Date | 8 November 1997 |
| Resting Place | Geneva, Germany |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Notable Works |
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Mahmoud Dowlatabadi
Mahmoud Dowlatabadi is one of the greatest and most well-respected Persian contemporary art and literature artists. He spent his youth working as an agricultural laborer until he made his way to Tehran. That was when he started his career as a writer and began writing plays, stories, and novels. One of his most outstanding achievements was to pioneer the use of the everyday language of the people in high literary writings. He has won several famous prizes for his works, including the Man Asian Literary Prize, Legion of Honour, and Jan Michalski Prize for Literature.
| Date of Birth | 1 August 1940 |
| Occupation | Writer, Actor |
| Notable Works |
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Iranian lead female writers
Due to political and social conventions, there is a very limited number of female authors in Persian literature before the contemporary time. Meanwhile, there are a few names that pioneered to become the first female novelists and ease the path for future female writers. It starts with Simin Daneshvar, who is recognized today as the first female novelist, and Sharnush Parsipour, who talks about women’s rights and struggles in Iran’s patriarchal society. Let’s learn more about these remarkable women.
Simin Daneshvar
Simin Daneshvar is recognized chiefly as Iran’s first female novelist with her enduring novel Savushun. Daneshvar also wrote many other books and short story collections, which was an achievement unlocked by Persian Women in Literature. Consequently, what she did as a writer eventually paved the way for other female writers to come forward with their stories and novels. Simin Daneshvar studied Persian Literature at university and received her Ph.D. in 1949. Furthermore, she was the wife of Jalal Ale-e Ahmad, who was also a renowned author.
| Date of Birth | 28 April 1921 |
| Passing Date | 8 March 2012 |
| Resting Place | Beheshte Zahra Cemetery, Tehran, Iran |
| Occupation | Novelist, Fiction Writer, Translator |
| Notable Works |
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Shahrnush Parsipour
Sharnush Parsipour is one of contemporary Persian literature’s most remarkable female authors. She has won several prestigious awards, including the Ninth Annual Bita Prize for Persian Arts and the Hellmann Hammett Award for Human Rights. Her novels have resonated with countless women in Iran and across the world who were searching for their identity and destiny in a patriarchal society. She is now living in California, and she has recently received Brown University’s International Writers Project Fellowship and has given lectures at UCLA.
| Date of Birth | 17 February 1946 |
| Occupation | Writer, Translator |
| Notable Works |
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Best-selling Classical poets
Among the classic writers, there are several poets whose work is consistently among the best-selling works. The most notable one is, without a doubt, Rumi, whose works have been translated into many languages. Other best-selling classical poets are Attar, Hafez, Saadi, and Nizami. Of course, many more poets and writers belong to the mentioned era, but those mentioned above hold the highest spots.
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