The Russian translation of “His Ego”, an Iranian bestselling novel with over 34 editions, was unveiled at the 26th Moscow International Book Fair 2013. The book was translated into Russian by Alexander Androshkin , edited by Professor Jahangir Dorri, and has been published by Russia’s Veche publishing house .The Islamic Culture Research Foundation collaborated with the publisher to release Iranian bestsellers books in Russia. During a session in Moscow International Book Fair 2013, Amirkhani said, “All Russian writers, Pushkin says, have come out from Gogol’s ‘Overcoat’, and perhaps all writers today are seeking Gogol’s Overcoat. Any writer would like to be acknowledged as the son of Turgenev’s Fathers and Sons… every writer would love Maxim Gorky’s Mother to mother them. Today, however, there is no trace of Gogol’s Overcoat.
Every writer could, at most, be the child of his fathers and mothers and should seek his grandmothers’ stories perforce. I am not a good representative of Iranian literature, grandmothers are. In His Ego I recount my grandmothers’ stories.” Set in Iran of 1933, His Ego chronicles the life of the protagonist Ali Fatah, a well-off businessman who has lost his father in early childhood and was raised by his grandfather. Ali falls in love with his childhood playmate, Mahtab, but they cannot get married. A few years later, Mahtab moves to France together with Ali Fatah’s sister. His sister marries an Algerian partisan who is assassinated in a while later. Mahtab and Ali’s sister have to return to Iran but are martyred both during the bombardment of Tehran. After all ups and downs, Ali Fattah endows all of his father’s estates, feels that his time is over, and dies.
His Ego is not only a fine work for its mighty characterization, suspense, and tone, it also surpasses its peers due to the author’s view of the world and people, his use of religious beliefs as well as an innovative pun on words and wordplay, smart choice of chapter titles, and even page layout – features that in all places His Ego among the novels worth reading that the reader would not put it down. Amirkhani’s bestsellers works are many and by no chance limited to His Ego. Among his other popular works one should mention the novels titled as Ermia, Gheidar, Homelandless, and travelogue Janestan-e Kabulestan .Most of which have bagged numerous prizes and awards in Iran. Reza Amirkhani (Iran/1973) Amirkhani came to age in the tumults of the Islamic Revolution. He sometimes glossed over his father’s deeds with his school bag full of political leaflets. And sometimes he was a playmate for his friends (Edmund, Arbey and Arash) in 25 Shahrivar district of Tehran.
In elementary school, he struggled to get an A+ in almost everything. Later, in 1983, he went to Allameh Helli Organization for Development of Exceptional Talents, that prior to 1987, it functioned under the supervision of the Educational Organization for the Exceptional Children, the Retarded! Growing up in the diversity and multiplicity of Allameh Helli of Tehran’s atmosphere, he made friends……. with as many friends none of whom he will exchange for the whole world. Then Amirkhani got admited in mechanical engineering at Sharif University of Technology.
He worked on Ghadir-27, two-person airplane project, and in the meantime, received a Private Pilot License (PPL) as the youngest private pilot of the time, in 1992, and then he was allowed to be the pilot of Ghadir-27. Later on in 2000 he travelled to the U.S.A and launched a private business in 2002 to 2004. He coordinated the ‘Greetings Nasrollah Festival’ during the 33-day Lebanon War and dispatched the largest convoy of Iranian literati to Lebanon in 2007. The most pleasing of his life is travelling to all provinces of Iran and to twenty-four countries of the world.
No comment