Sa’edi’s Literary Legacy; From Magical Realism to the Creation of Place as Character

Ibna (Iran’s Book News Agency) Literary Service – Marzieh Negahban Marvi: Gholamhossein Sa’edi, under the pseudonym Gohar Morad, was an Iranian novelist, playwright, and physician, born on January 14, 1936, in Tabriz, into an employee family. His childhood was spent in a simple yet rich environment of social and cultural experiences. He began his education at Badr Elementary School and, after receiving his sixth-grade certificate in 1948, entered Mansour High School in Tabriz; a well-known and disciplined school that played an important role in shaping his intellectual and literary personality.

From his teenage years, Sa’edi was interested in writing, and his first stories were published in Danesh-Amouz (Student) weekly. Additionally, the long story ‘The Unfallen’ was published by Kabootar-e Solh (Dove of Peace) magazine. In 1954, he received his natural science diploma and then entered Tabriz University, beginning his studies in medicine. His student years marked a turning point in his literary maturity. During these years, he had significant cultural activities and engaged in writing short stories and plays. Among the works of this period are the play ‘Shadows of the Night’ and the short story collection ‘Grand Soiree’.

From the 1960s onwards, Sa’edi became one of the prominent figures in contemporary Iranian literature. The short story collections ‘The Mourners of Bayal,’ ‘Grave and Cradle,’ ‘Nameless Fears,’ and ‘Fear and Trembling’ are among Sa’edi’s important works in the history of fiction. Several novels, including ‘The Ball’ and ‘Stranger in the City,’ and numerous plays, such as ‘The Club-Bearers of Verzayl,’ ‘The Best Dad in the World,’ ‘The Weavers in the Trenches,’ and ‘Woe to the Vanquished,’ as well as several screenplays, also remain from him.

Throughout his relatively short life, Gholamhossein Sa’edi had a prominent and influential presence in modern Persian literature. He is referred to as the founder of magical realism in Iranian fiction. Sa’edi’s name is also intertwined with the ‘New Wave’ movement in Iranian cinema, with two films belonging to this movement, ‘The Cow’ directed by Dariush Mehrjui and ‘Tranquility in the Presence of Others’ directed by Naser Taqvai, based on his stories. Dariush Mehrjui also directed the film ‘The Cycle’ (Dāyere-ye Minā) based on Sa’edi’s story ‘The Dump’.

Gholamhossein Sa’edi passed away on November 23, 1985, in Paris and was buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery. Today, however, his literary legacy remains vibrant in Iranian fiction and holds a special place. Although the political aspects of his life have been highlighted in recent years, what has made his career enduring are his literary works and his ability to create unique atmospheres and stories that still resonate with today’s audience. This report is the result of an analytical review of his works, based on interviews with Arash Azarpanaah and Behnaz Alipour Gaskari; two novelists and literary critics who have approached Sa’edi’s narrative world from different but complementary angles.

Sa’edi’s Place in Iranian Fictional Literature

Arash Azarpanaah, in response to a question about the relationship between Gholamhossein Sa’edi’s political and literary persona, emphasizes that he is ‘first and foremost a writer and playwright’ and is considered one of the most important figures in Iranian fiction. In his view, Sa’edi’s political activities are overshadowed by his literary importance, as most writers of the 1950s to 1970s possessed political insight, and this characteristic was not exclusive to Sa’edi.

He believes that although the political views of that generation are sometimes judged today, such judgment is not fair by historical standards. Azarpanaah, by referring to the allegorical features, storytelling, and social commitment of Sa’edi’s works, introduces him as a prominent and distinctive writer.

Sa’edi and Magical Realism

Azarpanaah agrees with the description of Sa’edi as the ‘founder of magical realism in Iran.’ He considers the collection ‘Fear and Trembling’ to be a complete embodiment of this style in contemporary Iranian literature. According to him, although signs of the magical are seen in classical Persian literature, Sa’edi played a pioneering role in modern fiction in this regard.

Did Sa’edi Create an Entirely New Style?

In response to whether Sa’edi introduced an unprecedented style in Iranian fiction, Azarpanaah does not consider this notion entirely accurate. He emphasizes that the time gap between Sa’edi and writers like Hedayat, Chubak, and Golestan is short, and all of them are considered the first generation of modern Iranian fiction writers. According to him, Sa’edi’s language and style are neither followers of Golestan nor dependent on Chubak’s southern school, but they share similarities in social commitment with previous generation writers. Sa’edi’s distinguishing feature is more evident in the magical realism of his short stories. He considers Sa’edi a unique writer within that first generation, not the founder of an entirely new style.

The Place of Grotesque in Sa’edi’s Works

Azarpanaah does not agree with emphasizing the grotesque in Sa’edi’s works. He says that signs can only be seen in some stories, like ‘Sa’adatnameh,’ but this feature is not prominent enough to be considered among the main characteristics of his works.

Reasons for Filmmakers’ Attention to Sa’edi’s Works

According to Azarpanaah, Sa’edi’s identity as a playwright has given his works high visual potential. He states that Sa’edi does not merely create space and location, but also depicts political, social, and cultural atmospheres, which makes his works cinematic.

Azarpanaah recalls that Sa’edi’s story ‘The Dump’ is one of the most influential short stories in Iran, and this story even led to the initiation of a social movement that resulted in the formation of the Blood Transfusion Organization. He considers the cinematic adaptation of this work to be one of the most successful examples of literature-to-cinema.

Multi-layered Atmospheric Creation in Sa’edi’s Works

Azarpanaah considers atmospheric creation one of Sa’edi’s most important strengths. In his view, Sa’edi describes not only the physical environment but also the social, political, and cultural atmospheres, and this multi-layered aspect gives his stories a new dimension. This also explains the high number of cinematic adaptations of his works.

Evaluation of Cinematic Adaptations of Sa’edi’s Works

Azarpanaah says: ‘Cinematic adaptations are usually weaker than their literary counterparts, unless the story itself is mediocre. But Sa’edi’s works are so strong that even the best film adaptations do not reach their level.’ In his view, cinema is unable to fully recreate the complexity and literary depth of Sa’edi’s works.

Fear, Anxiety, and Death in Sa’edi’s Fictional World

Azarpanaah considers these elements the foundations of Sa’edi’s fictional world. He believes Sa’edi depicts contemporary man amidst conditions filled with instability, fear, threat, and social anxiety; elements that are rooted both in the author’s era and in his psychological perspective on humanity. For this reason, Sa’edi’s fictional world is distinctive and influential.

The Link Between Stories and Their Time, and Their Enduring Nature

Azarpanaah emphasizes that Sa’edi’s stories are entirely products of the social, cultural, and political conditions of his time, but due to their psychological and social themes, they remain understandable and engaging for today’s reader. He considers Sa’edi’s most important enduring achievement to be the link between the social environment and the neurosis or psychosis of characters; a pattern still seen in contemporary fiction.

Sa’edi’s Influence on Subsequent Generations

From Azarpanaah’s perspective, Sa’edi has had a widespread influence on writers who came after him. Writers who today address social themes are, in a way, indebted to his patterns; whether in the use of the ‘stranger entering a familiar environment’ structure in horror stories, or in addressing chaotic urban spaces like in ‘Grave and Cradle’ that drive characters toward psychosis.

Azarpanaah’s View on Sa’edi’s Best Fictional Works

Azarpanaah introduces the following list as Sa’edi’s most prominent fictional works:

• The Dump, which he believes is one of the most important and influential short stories in Iranian literature.
• The Ash-Dwellers and The Beggar, which he considers prominent and important works in Sa’edi’s fiction career.
• The Hornets’ Nest (Zanbourak-khaneh), which Azarpanaah considers weaker than ‘The Dump’ but believes it is a different and valuable experience among Sa’edi’s works.
• He also considers several stories from ‘The Mourners of Bayal,’ including the story about the character ‘Moosorkheh,’ to be among Sa’edi’s valuable and successful works. According to him, ‘Moosorkheh’ has a special character among Sa’edi’s creations, and its influence can even be seen in contemporary cinema.

Evaluation of Sa’edi’s Plays

Azarpanaah does not have a very positive view of Sa’edi’s plays. He believes many of them are preachy and fall far short of the quality of his fictional works. However, he considers one or two good plays among them as exceptions and still emphasizes that Sa’edi’s stories are far more enduring.

The Importance of Place in Gholamhossein Sa’edi’s Works

Following this, Behnaz Alipour Gaskari, focusing on ‘The Importance of Place in Gholamhossein Sa’edi’s Works,’ states: Sa’edi’s most important narrative aspect is his attention to place, which overshadows other narrative elements.

Focus on the Short Story Collection ‘The Mourners of Bayal’

Alipour explains: I want to focus on the village of ‘Bayal’ in the collection ‘The Mourners of Bayal.’ In this collection, published in 1964, we have eight interconnected stories, all of whose events take place in a location called Bayal.

Regarding the first story in this collection, she says: The first story in this collection sets the stage for introducing the external atmosphere of Bayal village, its characters, and the occurrence of various calamities and wondrous events.

The Importance of Place in Creating Atmosphere

According to Alipour, the role of place in this collection is evident not only psychologically but also in the naming of the work: We can first see the importance of place, alongside its psychological dimensions, in the title of the work; that is, ‘The Mourners’ in the story’s title, which itself creates a tragic mood and a journalistic tone within the story’s context.

She adds: By describing the place, the ground is prepared for the agency and dominance of the place element over human factors, i.e., the characters, to become apparent, and for the narrative space of the stories to take shape. To the extent that the destructive influence of the place leaves its lasting impact on each and every character.

Place as Character

Alipour further explains: Narrative place includes a collection of spaces, story scenes, sounds, smells, and many other environmental factors. The specific importance of place in ‘The Mourners of Bayal’ short story collection is that it truly highlights its active role.

She considers place in Sa’edi’s work as a meta-fictional character: As an elusive, meta-fictional character, the place in the stories actually shapes the characters, and the expanding dominance of place over the characters’ lives has turned them into helpless and inactive individuals who have no motivation to change their current circumstances.

The Relationship Between Place and Characters

In analyzing the relationship between place and characters, Alipour states: Bayal, as the narrative place, assumes the role of the main character in the story and, within the context of the narrative space and the psychological and emotional atmosphere of the text, takes on a meta-fictional character with wondrous qualities, a dark heart beating within its body.

She concludes: This relationship between place and characters actually shows that people are products of their living environment. In this sense, when the place is described, the characters are described. Characters, in accordance with their living place and the atmosphere of Bayal, are a collection of wondrous and unpredictable individuals.

This novelist and literary critic adds: The violence and destructive influence of the place have left such an impact on each of the characters in ‘The Mourners of Bayal’ that it can be said the characters are subsumed within the place.

Finally, Alipour emphasizes: The focus of all Sa’edi’s stories and plays is based on place, meaning place shapes the entirety of the work. In all stories and plays, there is one narrative element that dominates the others, and in Sa’edi’s works, place assumes this role. That is, place is determinant: on characters, on tone, on dialogues, on themes, and on all narrative elements, effectively imposing its dominance on all of them.