Sadegh Hedayat
Encyclopedia
Sadegh Hedayat (in Persian
: صادق هدایت; February 17, 1903, Tehran
— 4 April 1951, Paris, France) was Iran
's foremost modern writer of prose
fiction and short stories.
and was educated at Collège Saint-Louis (French catholic school) and Dar ol-Fonoon
(1914–1916). In 1925, he was among a selected few students who travelled to Europe to continue their studies. There, he initially went on to study engineering
in Belgium
, after a year he gave this up to study architecture
in France
. While there, he gave up architecture to pursue dentistry
. In this period he became acquainted with Therese, a Parisian with whom he had a love affair. In 1927 Hedayat attempted suicide by throwing himself into the river Marne, however he was rescued by a fishing boat. After four years in France and Belgium, he finally surrendered his scholarship and returned home in the summer of 1930 without receiving a degree. In Iran he held various jobs for short periods.
Hedayat subsequently devoted his whole life to studying Western literature and to learning and investigating Iranian history and folklore. The works of Rainer Maria Rilke
, Edgar Allan Poe
, Franz Kafka
, Anton Chekhov
and Guy de Maupassant
intrigued him the most. During his short literary life span, Hedayat published a substantial number of short stories and novelettes, two historical dramas, a play, a travelogue, and a collection of satirical parodies and sketches. His writings also include numerous literary criticisms, studies in Persian folklore, and many translations from Middle Persian
and French
. He is credited with having brought Persian language and literature into the mainstream of international contemporary writing. There is no doubt that Hedayat was the most modern of all modern writers in Iran. Yet, for Hedayat, modernity was not just a question of scientific rationality or a pure imitation of European values.
In his later years, feeling the socio-political problems of the time, Hedayat started attacking the two major causes of Iran's decimation, the monarchy and the clergy, and through his stories he tried to impute the deafness and blindness of the nation to the abuses of these two major powers. Feeling alienated by everyone around him, especially by his peers, Hedayat's last published work, The Message of Kafka, bespeaks melancholy, desperation and a sense of doom experienced only by those subjected to discrimination and repression.
Hedayat travelled and stayed in India from 1937 until 1939. In Bombay he completed and published his most enduring work, The Blind Owl
, whose writing he started as early as 1930 in Paris. The book was praised by many including Henry Miller and André Breton. It has been called "one of the most important literary works in the Persian language".
At the end of 1950, Hedayat left Iran for Paris. There, on 4 April 1951, he committed suicide by gassing
himself in a small rented apartment on 37 Rue Championnet. He had plugged all the gaps in the windows and door with cotton and, so it wouldn’t burden anyone, he had placed the money (a hundred thousand francs) for his shroud and burial in his side wallet in plain view. He was buried at the division 85 of Père Lachaise cemetery. His funeral was attended by a number of intimate friends and close acquaintances, both Iranian and Frenchmen.
imagery. In Haji Aqa his characters explore the lack of meritocracy
in Iran:
In November 2006, republication of Hedayat's work in uncensored form was banned in Iran
, as part of a sweeping purge. However, surveillance of book-stalls is limited and it is apparently still possible to purchase the originals second-hand. The official website is also still online. Some material discussing the issue of censorship include:
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
: صادق هدایت; February 17, 1903, Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
— 4 April 1951, Paris, France) was Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
's foremost modern writer of prose
Prose
Prose is the most typical form of written language, applying ordinary grammatical structure and natural flow of speech rather than rhythmic structure...
fiction and short stories.
Life
Hedayat was born to a northern Iranian aristocratic family in TehranTehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
and was educated at Collège Saint-Louis (French catholic school) and Dar ol-Fonoon
Dar ol-Fonoon
Dar al-Funun , established in 1851, was the first modern institution of higher learning in Persia.-Introduction:Founded by Amir Kabir, then the royal vizier to Nasereddin Shah, the Shah of Iran, Dar al-Funun originally was conceived as a polytechnic to train upper-class Persian youth in Medicine,...
(1914–1916). In 1925, he was among a selected few students who travelled to Europe to continue their studies. There, he initially went on to study engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, after a year he gave this up to study architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. While there, he gave up architecture to pursue dentistry
Dentistry
Dentistry is the branch of medicine that is involved in the study, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body. Dentistry is widely considered...
. In this period he became acquainted with Therese, a Parisian with whom he had a love affair. In 1927 Hedayat attempted suicide by throwing himself into the river Marne, however he was rescued by a fishing boat. After four years in France and Belgium, he finally surrendered his scholarship and returned home in the summer of 1930 without receiving a degree. In Iran he held various jobs for short periods.
Rainer Maria Rilke
René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke , better known as Rainer Maria Rilke, was a Bohemian–Austrian poet. He is considered one of the most significant poets in the German language...
, Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
, Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka was a culturally influential German-language author of short stories and novels. Contemporary critics and academics, including Vladimir Nabokov, regard Kafka as one of the best writers of the 20th century...
, Anton Chekhov
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
and Guy de Maupassant
Guy de Maupassant
Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant was a popular 19th-century French writer, considered one of the fathers of the modern short story and one of the form's finest exponents....
intrigued him the most. During his short literary life span, Hedayat published a substantial number of short stories and novelettes, two historical dramas, a play, a travelogue, and a collection of satirical parodies and sketches. His writings also include numerous literary criticisms, studies in Persian folklore, and many translations from Middle Persian
Middle Persian
Middle Persian , indigenously known as "Pârsig" sometimes referred to as Pahlavi or Pehlevi, is the Middle Iranian language/ethnolect of Southwestern Iran that during Sassanid times became a prestige dialect and so came to be spoken in other regions as well. Middle Persian is classified as a...
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. He is credited with having brought Persian language and literature into the mainstream of international contemporary writing. There is no doubt that Hedayat was the most modern of all modern writers in Iran. Yet, for Hedayat, modernity was not just a question of scientific rationality or a pure imitation of European values.
In his later years, feeling the socio-political problems of the time, Hedayat started attacking the two major causes of Iran's decimation, the monarchy and the clergy, and through his stories he tried to impute the deafness and blindness of the nation to the abuses of these two major powers. Feeling alienated by everyone around him, especially by his peers, Hedayat's last published work, The Message of Kafka, bespeaks melancholy, desperation and a sense of doom experienced only by those subjected to discrimination and repression.
Hedayat travelled and stayed in India from 1937 until 1939. In Bombay he completed and published his most enduring work, The Blind Owl
The Blind Owl
The Blind Owl is Sadegh Hedayat's most enduring work of prose and a major literary work of 20th century Iran. Written in Persian, it tells the story of an unnamed pen case painter, the narrator, who sees in his macabre, feverish nightmares that "the presence of death annihilates all that is...
, whose writing he started as early as 1930 in Paris. The book was praised by many including Henry Miller and André Breton. It has been called "one of the most important literary works in the Persian language".
At the end of 1950, Hedayat left Iran for Paris. There, on 4 April 1951, he committed suicide by gassing
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
himself in a small rented apartment on 37 Rue Championnet. He had plugged all the gaps in the windows and door with cotton and, so it wouldn’t burden anyone, he had placed the money (a hundred thousand francs) for his shroud and burial in his side wallet in plain view. He was buried at the division 85 of Père Lachaise cemetery. His funeral was attended by a number of intimate friends and close acquaintances, both Iranian and Frenchmen.
Current censorship
His work is coming under increasing attack in Europe from political Islamists, and many of his novels (Haji Aqa in particular) are no longer stocked in some French bookshops and libraries. The novels The Blind Owl and Haji Aqa were banned from the 18th Tehran International Book Fair in 2005. The Blind Owl contains a great deal of Buddhist and HinduHindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
imagery. In Haji Aqa his characters explore the lack of meritocracy
Meritocracy
Meritocracy, in the first, most administrative sense, is a system of government or other administration wherein appointments and responsibilities are objectively assigned to individuals based upon their "merits", namely intelligence, credentials, and education, determined through evaluations or...
in Iran:
In order for the people to be kept in line, they must be kept hungry, needy, illiterate, and superstitious. If the grocer's child becomes literate, he not only will criticise my speech, but he will also utter words that neither you nor I will understand.... What would happen if the forage-seller's child turns out intelligent and capable—and mine, the son of a Haji, turns out lazy and foolish?
In November 2006, republication of Hedayat's work in uncensored form was banned in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, as part of a sweeping purge. However, surveillance of book-stalls is limited and it is apparently still possible to purchase the originals second-hand. The official website is also still online. Some material discussing the issue of censorship include:
- Item in The Guardian from November 2006
- "City Report: Tehran" from Frieze, issue 86, October 2004, discussing Iranian censorship in general
- Article by Radio Free Europe — Radio Liberty from November 2007
Works
- Fiction
- 1930 Buried Alive (Zende be gūr). A collection of 9 short stories.
- 1931 Mongol Shadow (Sāye-ye Moqol)
- 1932 Three Drops of Blood (Se qatre khūn)
- 1933 Chiaroscuro (Sāye-ye roushan)
- 1934 Mister Bow Wow (Vagh Vagh Sahāb)
- 1936 Sampingé (in French)
- 1936 Lunatique (in French)
- 1937 The Blind OwlThe Blind OwlThe Blind Owl is Sadegh Hedayat's most enduring work of prose and a major literary work of 20th century Iran. Written in Persian, it tells the story of an unnamed pen case painter, the narrator, who sees in his macabre, feverish nightmares that "the presence of death annihilates all that is...
(Boof-e koor) - 1942 The Stray Dog (Sag-e welgard)
- 1943 Mistress Alaviyeh (Alaviye chānum)
- 1944 Velengārī (Tittle-tattle)
- 1944 The Elixir of Life (Āb-e zendegi)
- 1945 Hājī āqā
- 1946 Tomorrow (Fardā)
- 1947 The Pearl Cannon (Tūp-e morvarid)‘’
- Dāsh Akol
- Drama (1930–1946)
- Parvin dokhtar-e Sāsān (Parvin, Sassan's Daughter)
- Māzīyār
- Afsāne-ye āfarīnesh (The Fable of Creation)
- Travelogues
- Esfahān nesf-e jahān (Isfahan: Half of the World)
- Rū-ye jādde-ye namnāk (On the Wet Road), unpublished, written in 1935.
- Studies, Criticism and Miscellanea
- Rubāyyāt-e Hakim Omar-e Khayyam (KhayyamOmar KhayyámOmar Khayyám was aPersian polymath: philosopher, mathematician, astronomer and poet. He also wrote treatises on mechanics, geography, mineralogy, music, climatology and theology....
's Quatrains) 1923 - Ensān va heyvān (Man and Animal) 1924
- Marg (Death) 1927
- Favāyed-e giyāhkhori (The Advantages of Vegetarianism) 1927
- Hekāyat-e bā natije (The Story with a Moral) 1932
- Taranehā-ye Khayyām (The Songs of Khayyam) 1934
- Chāykovski (Tchaikovsky) 1940
- Dar pirāmun-e Loqat-e Fārs-e Asadi (About AsadiAsadi TusiAbu Mansur Ali ibn Ahmad Asadi Tusi is arguably the second most important Persian poet of the Iranian national epics, after Ferdowsi who also happens to come from the same town of Tus. He was a poet, a linguist and copyist of ancient manuscripts.- Life :The information on Asadi's lifetime is scant...
's Persian Dictionary) 1940 - Shive-ye novin dar tahqiq-e adabi (A New Method of Literary Research) 1940
- Dāstan-e Nāz (The Story of Naz) 1941
- Shivehā-ye novin dar she'r-e Pārsi (New Trends in Persian Poetry) 1941
- A review of the film Molla Nasrud'DinNasreddinNasreddin was a Seljuq satirical Sufi figure, sometimes believed to have lived during the Middle Ages and considered a populist philosopher and wise man, remembered for his funny stories and anecdotes. He appears in thousands of stories, sometimes witty, sometimes wise, but often, too, a fool or...
1944 - A literary criticism on the Persian translation of GogolNikolai GogolNikolai Vasilievich Gogol was a Ukrainian-born Russian dramatist and novelist.Considered by his contemporaries one of the preeminent figures of the natural school of Russian literary realism, later critics have found in Gogol's work a fundamentally romantic sensibility, with strains of Surrealism...
's The Government Inspector 1944 - Chand nokte dar bāre-ye Vis va Rāmin (Some Notes on Vis and Ramin) 1945
- Payām-e Kāfkā (The Message of Kafka) 1948
- Al-be`thatu-Islamiya ellal-belad'l Afranjiya (An Islamic Mission in the European Lands), undated.
- Rubāyyāt-e Hakim Omar-e Khayyam (Khayyam
- Translations
- French languageFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
translations:- 1931 Gooseberries by Anton ChekhovAnton ChekhovAnton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
- 1948 In the Penal ColonyIn the Penal Colony"In the Penal Colony" is a short story by Franz Kafka written in German in October 1914, revised in November 1918, and first published in October 1919....
by Franz KafkaFranz KafkaFranz Kafka was a culturally influential German-language author of short stories and novels. Contemporary critics and academics, including Vladimir Nabokov, regard Kafka as one of the best writers of the 20th century... - 1944 Before the LawBefore the Law"Before the Law" is a parable in the novel The Trial , by Franz Kafka. "Before the Law" was published in Kafka's lifetime, while The Trial was not published until after Kafka's death.-"Before the Law":...
by Franz Kafka - 1950 The MetamorphosisThe MetamorphosisThe Metamorphosis is a novella by Franz Kafka, first published in 1915. It is often cited as one of the seminal works of short fiction of the 20th century and is widely studied in colleges and universities across the western world...
by Franz Kafka (along with Hasan Qaemian) - 1950 The WallThe Wall (Book)The Wall by Jean-Paul Sartre, a collection of short stories published in 1939 containing the eponymous story "The Wall", is considered one of the author's greatest existentialist works of fiction...
by Jean-Paul SartreJean-Paul SartreJean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre was a French existentialist philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic. He was one of the leading figures in 20th century French philosophy, particularly Marxism, and was one of the key figures in literary... - 1950 Tales of Two Countries by Alexander Lange Kielland
- 1950 Blind Geronimo and his Brother by Arthur SchnitzlerArthur SchnitzlerDr. Arthur Schnitzler was an Austrian author and dramatist.- Biography :Arthur Schnitzler, son of a prominent Hungarian-Jewish laryngologist Johann Schnitzler and Luise Markbreiter , was born in Praterstraße 16, Leopoldstadt, Vienna, in the Austro-Hungarian...
- 1931 Gooseberries by Anton Chekhov
- Pahlavi language translations:
- 1943 Kārname-ye Ardashir-e-Pāpākān (The Book of the Deeds of Ardashir [son of] Papakan)
- 1940 Gojaste Abālish
- 1945 Āmadan-e shāh Bahrām-e Varjavand (Return of shah Bahram Varjavand)
- 1944 Zand va Homān Yasn
- French language
Films about Hedayat
- In 1987 Raul Ruiz made the feature film La Chouette aveugle in France: a loose adaption of Hedayat's novel The Blind Owl. Its formal innovations led critics and filmmakers to declare the film 'French cinema’s most beautiful jewel of the past decade.'
- Hedayat's last day and night was adapted into the short film, The Sacred and the Absurd, which was featured in the Tribeca Film FestivalTribeca Film FestivalThe Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
in 2004. - In 2005 Iranian film director Khosrow SinaiKhosrow SinaiKhosrow Sinai is an Iranian film director. His works are usually based on social documentations. He was the first Iranian film director to win an international prize after the Islamic revolution in Iran...
has made a docudrama about Hedayat entitled Goftogu ba saye = Talking with a shadow. Its main theme is the influence of Western movies such as Der GolemDer GolemDer Golem is an opera in three acts by composer Eugen d'Albert. The work uses a German language libretto by Ferdinand Lion after Arthur Holitscher's Der Golem: Ghettolengende in drei Aufzügen...
, Nosferatu and DraculaDracula (1931 film)Dracula is a 1931 vampire-horror film directed by Tod Browning and starring Bela Lugosi as the title character. The film was produced by Universal and is based on the stage play of the same name by Hamilton Deane and John L...
on Hedayat.
See also
- Intellectual movements in IranIntellectual movements in IranIntellectual movements in Iran involve the Iranian experience of modernity and its associated art, science, literature, poetry, and political structures that have been changing since the 19th century.- History of Iranian modernity :...
- Persian literaturePersian literaturePersian literature spans two-and-a-half millennia, though much of the pre-Islamic material has been lost. Its sources have been within historical Persia including present-day Iran as well as regions of Central Asia where the Persian language has historically been the national language...
- Persian philosophyIranian philosophyIranian philosophy or Persian philosophy can be traced back as far as to Old Iranian philosophical traditions and thoughts which originated in ancient Indo-Iranian roots and were considerably influenced by Zarathustra's teachings...
- List of Iranian intellectuals
Sources
- Hassan Kamshad, Modern Persian Prose Literature ISBN 0-936347-72-4
- Acquaintance with Sadegh Hedayat, by Mostafa Farzaneh, Publisher: Markaz, Tehran, 2008.
- Sadeq Hedayat, the foremost short story writer of Iran
- The Sacred and the Absurd, a film about Hedayat's death
Further references
- Homa Katouzian, Sadeq Hedayat: Life and legend of an Iranian writer, I.B. TaurisI.B. TaurisI. B. Tauris is an independent publishing house with offices in London and New York.-History:I.B.Tauris was founded in 1983. Its declared strategy was to fill the perceived gap between trade publishing houses and university presses—that is, to publish serious but accessible works on international...
, 2000. ISBN 1-86064-413-9 - Hassan Kamshad, Modern Persian Prose Literature, Ibex Publishers, 1996. ISBN 0-936347-72-4
- Michael C. Hillmann, Hedayat's "The Blind Owl" Forty Years After, Middle East Monograph No. 4, Univ of Texas Press, 1978.
- Iraj Bashiri, Hedayat's Ivory Tower: Structural Analysis of The Blind Owl, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1975.
- Iraj Bashiri, The Fiction of Sadeq Hedayat, 1984.
- Sayers, Carol, The Blind Owl and Other Hedayat Stories, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1984.
- What is left for me from Sadegh Hedayat? Excerpt from "Sadegh Hadayat: Dar Tare Ankaboot" (In the Spider's Web), by M. F. Farzaneh, 2005.
- Hedayat’s last night out in Paris Excerpt from M. F. Farzaneh's "Ashenayee ba Sadegh Hedayat" (Knowning Sadegh Hedayat), 2004.
External links
- Official Website of Sadeq Hedayat (in Persian or in English).
Note: Many of Sadeq Hedayat's full texts can be legally downloaded from here: Mat'n-e Kāmel-e Dāstān-hā.
Photo Gallery (highly recommended). - Sadeq Hedayat's Life by Iraj BashiriIraj BashiriIraj Bashiri is Professor of History at the University of Minnesota, USA and one of the leading scholars in the fields of Central Asian Studies and Iranian Studies. Fluent in English, Persian/Tajik and several Turkic languages, Bashiri has been able to study and translate works otherwise...
. - Sadeq Hedayat's Corner, further articles and English translations by Iraj Bashiri.
- Persian Language & Literature — Sadeq Hedayat.
- A Tribute to Sadeq Hedayat.
- Hedayat Page (in French).
- Sokhan — online literary magazine (in Persian).
- Hedayat's art work
- Sadegh Hedayat's Photo & Gravesite.
- Audiobooks (Ketab-e Gooya).
- Tup-e Morvari by Sadeq Hedayat (in Persian), (PDF), (The Iranian).
- Hedayat Family History (in English).
- • Sadeq Hedayat's Heritage, Jadid Online, 17 July 2008 (in English).
• A Museum That Was Not To Be, by Mahtāj Rasuli, Jadid Online, 20 June 2008 (in Persian).
• An audio slideshow (with English subtitles) by Shokā Sahrāi, with Mr Jahāngir Hedayat (son of General Isā Hedayat, Sadegh Hedayat's brother) speaking. (6 min 28 sec). - Buried Alive (Short Story) Translated by Carter Bryant
- The Elixir of Life (Short Story) Translated by Kambiz Parsai
- The Darkroom (Short Story) Translated by Kambiz Parsai
- Daash Akol (Short Story) Translated by Kambiz Parsai
- Davood the Hunchback (Short Story) Translated by Mohammad Rajabpur