Shusha Guppy
Encyclopedia
Shushā Guppy , née Shamsi Assār (شمسی عصار)(D(24 December 1935, Tehran
, Iran
— 21 March 2008, London
, United Kingdom
), was a writer, editor and - under the name of "Shusha" - a singer of Persian and Western folk-songs. She had lived in London
since the mid 1960s.
. She was sent to Paris
when she was only seventeen to study Oriental languages and philosophy. She also trained as an opera singer. In Paris she encountered artists, writers and poets such as Louis Aragon
, Jose Bergamin
, Jean Paul Sartre and Albert Camus
. She was encouraged by Jacques Prévert
to record albums of Persian folk songs, and subsequently chansons and old French songs.
After marrying the writer and explorer Nicholas Guppy in 1961 (they had two sons, Darius Guppy
and Constantine Guppy, and were divorced in 1976) she moved to London, where she became as fluent in English as she already was in Persian and French. She wrote articles for major publications in both Britain and America. She also began singing professionally.
She contributed music and voice-over
to the documentary film People of the Wind
(1976). The following year the film was nominated for the Best Documentary Feature
Oscar
and also for a Golden Globe. The film follows the annual migration of the nomadic Bakhtiari tribes in southern Iran. The soundtrack was later released in the USA. How much she contributed to the fim is in dispute. According to Shusha Guppy herself: "What has saddened me, and frankly made me angry, is not the money — as I said I wanted to make the film and financial rewards were not my aim — but the fact that all the credits were taken from me on People of the Wind of which the idea, the production, and the text were mine."
Prize, a prize from the Royal Society of Literature
, the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize and the Grand Prix Littéraire de Elle. She describes how Persia was before the excesses of the last Shah led to his overthrow, with an Islamic way of life without dogmatism or fanaticism.
Her last book, The Secret of Laughter (2005), is a collection of Persian fairytales from Iran’s oral tradition. Many had never previously been published in written form.
She promoted Persian culture and history, and was a commentator on relations between the West and the Islamic world. For twenty years until 2005, she was the London Editor of the American literary journal The Paris Review.
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...
, 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...
— 21 March 2008, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
), was a writer, editor and - under the name of "Shusha" - a singer of Persian and Western folk-songs. She had lived in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
since the mid 1960s.
Early life
Her father, Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammad-Kāzem Assār (آيت الله العظمي سيد محمد کاظم عصار), was a distinguished Shia theologian and Professor of Philosophy at University of TehranUniversity of Tehran
The University of Tehran , also known as Tehran University and UT, is Iran's oldest university. Located in Tehran, the university is among the most prestigious in the country, and is consistently selected as the first choice of many applicants in the annual nationwide entrance exam for top Iranian...
. She was sent to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
when she was only seventeen to study Oriental languages and philosophy. She also trained as an opera singer. In Paris she encountered artists, writers and poets such as Louis Aragon
Louis Aragon
Louis Aragon , was a French poet, novelist and editor, a long-time member of the Communist Party and a member of the Académie Goncourt.- Early life :...
, Jose Bergamin
José Bergamín
José Bergamín Gutiérrez was a Spanish writer, essayist, poet, and playwright. His father served as president of the canton of Málaga; his mother was a devout Catholic...
, Jean Paul Sartre and Albert Camus
Albert Camus
Albert Camus was a French author, journalist, and key philosopher of the 20th century. In 1949, Camus founded the Group for International Liaisons within the Revolutionary Union Movement, which was opposed to some tendencies of the Surrealist movement of André Breton.Camus was awarded the 1957...
. She was encouraged by Jacques Prévert
Jacques Prévert
Jacques Prévert was a French poet and screenwriter. His poems became and remain very popular in the French-speaking world, particularly in schools. Some of the movies he wrote are extremely well regarded, with Les Enfants du Paradis considered one of the greatest films of all time.-Life and...
to record albums of Persian folk songs, and subsequently chansons and old French songs.
After marrying the writer and explorer Nicholas Guppy in 1961 (they had two sons, Darius Guppy
Darius Guppy
Darius 'Darry' Guppy is a British-Iranian businessman who, together with Benedict Marsh, was convicted of fraud, theft and false accounting in February 1993...
and Constantine Guppy, and were divorced in 1976) she moved to London, where she became as fluent in English as she already was in Persian and French. She wrote articles for major publications in both Britain and America. She also began singing professionally.
The singer
Her first British release, in 1971, was an album of traditional Persian music, previously released in France. By now, influenced by the Folk Revival, she was writing and singing some of her own songs, as well as covering the works of many contemporary singer/song-writers. She gave successful concerts in Britain, America and continental Europe, and appeared on television and radio programmes. She gave concerts in Holland and Belgium in 1975 with Lori Lieberman and Dimitri van Tooren.She contributed music and voice-over
Voice-over
Voice-over is a production technique where a voice which is not part of the narrative is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations...
to the documentary film People of the Wind
People of the Wind
People of the Wind is a 1976 documentary film about the Bakhtiari people, produced by Anthony Howarth and David Koff. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
(1976). The following year the film was nominated for the Best Documentary Feature
Academy Award for Documentary Feature
The Academy Award for Documentary Feature is among the most prestigious awards for documentary films.- Winners and nominees:Following the Academy's practice, films are listed below by the award year...
Oscar
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
and also for a Golden Globe. The film follows the annual migration of the nomadic Bakhtiari tribes in southern Iran. The soundtrack was later released in the USA. How much she contributed to the fim is in dispute. According to Shusha Guppy herself: "What has saddened me, and frankly made me angry, is not the money — as I said I wanted to make the film and financial rewards were not my aim — but the fact that all the credits were taken from me on People of the Wind of which the idea, the production, and the text were mine."
Discography
All are vinyl LPs except where noted. The years given are for the first British release.- Persian Love Songs and Mystic Chants (1971)
- Songs of Long-time Lovers (1972)
- Shusha (1974)
- This is the Day (1974)
- Before the Deluge (1975)
- From East to West (1978)
- Here I Love You (1980)
- Lovely in the Dances: Songs of Sydney Carter (1981)
- Durable Fire (1983)
- Strange Affair (unknown)
- La Fortune (unknown)
- Refugee (1995 - CD on Sharrow Records)
- Shusha / This is the Day (2001 - reissue on CD)
The writer and editor
Her first book, The Blindfold Horse: Memoirs of a Persian Childhood. was published in 1988. It was highly praised, winning the Yorkshire PostYorkshire Post
The Yorkshire Post is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England by Yorkshire Post Newspapers, a company owned by Johnston Press...
Prize, a prize from the Royal Society of Literature
Royal Society of Literature
The Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain". It was founded in 1820 by George IV, in order to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The Society's first president was Thomas Burgess, who later became the Bishop of Salisbury...
, the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize and the Grand Prix Littéraire de Elle. She describes how Persia was before the excesses of the last Shah led to his overthrow, with an Islamic way of life without dogmatism or fanaticism.
Her last book, The Secret of Laughter (2005), is a collection of Persian fairytales from Iran’s oral tradition. Many had never previously been published in written form.
She promoted Persian culture and history, and was a commentator on relations between the West and the Islamic world. For twenty years until 2005, she was the London Editor of the American literary journal The Paris Review.
External links
- [ Shusha Guppy] at Allmusic
- Shusha Guppy, A paean to kingship, The Guardian, Monday 18 February 2008. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/feb/18/monarchy.iran.
Note: This is Shusha Guppy's valedictory Comment in The Guardian. It concludes with the words: "Well, the doctors have told me that my cancer is terminal and so I am having to dictate what is certainly my last piece of journalism." - Shusha Guppy, ASHA Foundation.
- Shusha Guppy speaks in the documentary film on Omar KhayyāmOmar KhayyámOmar Khayyám was aPersian polymath: philosopher, mathematician, astronomer and poet. He also wrote treatises on mechanics, geography, mineralogy, music, climatology and theology....
, Intoxicating Rhymes and Sobering Wine, YouTube (1 min). - Shusha Guppy on her return to Iran, Woman's HourWoman's HourWoman's Hour is a radio magazine programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in the United Kingdom.-History:Created by Norman Collins and originally presented by Alan Ivimey the programme was first broadcast on 7 October 1946 on the BBC's Light Programme . It was transferred to its current home in 1973...
, BBC Radio 4, 16 March 2006. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/04/2006_11_thu.shtml (8 min 35 sec). - Shusha Guppy, School of Illumination, Sunday Feature, 45 minutes, BBC Radio 3, Sunday 19 March 2006, http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/sundayfeature/pip/u9y8g/.
Note: At present BBC offers no audio recording or a transcript of this programme. The website presents however an extensive bibliography. - Some folk-songs sung by Shusha Guppy in the 1970s: Iranian.
Listen specifically to:
Silver Gun (from ShirazShirazShiraz may refer to:* Shiraz, Iran, a city in Iran* Shiraz County, an administrative subdivision of Iran* Vosketap, Armenia, formerly called ShirazPeople:* Hovhannes Shiraz, Armenian poet* Ara Shiraz, Armenian sculptor...
), Wheat Flower (a harvest song), The Rain (from the Gilan Province), The Stars in Heaven (from Shiraz), On Top of the Hill (from Shiraz), The Silken Handkerchief (from the Fars Province), Darling Leila (from the Gilan Province), I Have Come to Ravish My Heart (from the Lorestan Province), The Lor Youth (a Bakhtiari-Tribe song), Lullaby (from GorganGorganGorgan Some east of Gorgan is the Golestan National Park. The city has a regional airport and several universities. Gorgan Airport was opened in September 2005.-Etymology:...
), Girl from Boyer-Ahmadi Tribe (from the Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province), My Beloved is Short (from the Fars Province), The Water Pipe, You Must Come to Me (from Mamasani CountyMamasani CountyMamasani County is a county in Fars Province in Iran. The capital of the county is Nurabad, which is located 180 kilometres from Shiraz. The people of Mamasani speak in Lurish language in southern Lurish dialect...
), Darling Dareyne (from the Mazandaran Province), Masnavi (a mystic chant from Rumi's Masnavi). - Shusha Guppy, What Rumi Means for Muslims Today, Heart and Soul Feature, BBC Radio World Service, Friday 27 June 2008 — rebroadcast from November 2007, http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/heart_and_soul.shtml (26 min 30 sec).
- Shusha Guppy, 'The Book of Kings' published in Parnassus (magazine)Parnassus (magazine)Parnassus: Poetry in Review is an American literary magazine founded in 1973.The magazine states on its website that its aim has been "to provide a forum where poets, novelists, and critics of all persuasions could gather to review new books of poetry, including translations [....
, Vol. 30.