Writing in Iran today. Conference by Amir-Hassan Cheheltan on the occasion of his first translation into French

Hosted by Julie Duvigneau

Organized by: Julie Duvigneau & Amir Moghani

The Book

At the death of his father, the narrator finds a family tree that includes a French woman among his ancestors. Intrigued, he scours the family archives and discovers a manuscript written by the grandson of the great Isfahan calligrapher. We then plunge into a story that unfolds from 1722; that of Allahyar, a young man trying to survive while Afghan troops lay siege to the city, alone at first, then surrounded by companions whom he sets out to save.

This novel, which revisits a tragic episode in Iran's history in admirably crafted language, is that of a struggle against barbarism and religious hypocrisy. The story is driven by the calligrapher's love of beauty and spiritual impulse, and Allahyar's more carnal love for Yassaman - a young girl whose fiancé has been killed by the city's mullahs - who symbolizes both the city of Isfahan, and the love of life. Le Calligraphe d'Ispahan is a particularly topical historical novel. Censored in Iran, it was originally published in German translation. This spellbinding novel about culture and morality in times of crisis is Amir Hassan Cheheltan's first book to be translated into French.

The AUTHOR

Amir-Hassan Cheheltan was born in Tehran in 1956, began writing at the age of twelve and published his first collection of short stories in 1976.

After studying electrical engineering in England, he returned to Iran and did his military service during the Iran-Iraq war in 1982-1984. A prolific writer, he is one of the few current authors to deal directly with historical events in his novels. Censored in Iran, most of his books were first published in German translation.

In 2020, he received the International Prize for Literature awarded by the Berlin House of World Cultures for his novel The Circle of Literature Lovers.

More information on the publisher's website: https://www.editionsintervalles.com/catalogue/le-calligraphe-dispahan/