The latest cultural headlines in the media.

Georgia pays tribute to Persian poet Sa’adi Shirazi

Presstv: Iran’s cultural office in Georgia has held a ceremony to commemorate the eminent 13th-century Persian poet, Sa’adi Shirazi in the capital city of Tbilisi.

A number of Iranian officials and Persian language scholars attended the ceremony along with Georgian Persian language Professors and Iranologists of Tbilisi State University.

Iranian Ambassador to Georgia Majid Saber thanked famous Georgian orientalist and translator of Sa’adi’s Golestan, Giorgi Lobzhanidze.

A short documentary film with Georgian subtitles was also screened during the event held at the Iranian embassy in Georgia on April 21, 2012. The film introduced Sa’adi’s hometown, the Iranian cultural city of Shiraz.

Born in Shiraz in 1194 CE, Sa’adi Shirazi, is known as a Sufi master, mystic and metaphysicist in the history of Persian literature.

His proficiency in Persian literature confers on him the title ‘Master of Prose and Poetry’.

Sa'adi is best-known for his Boustan and Golestan which present a peculiar blend of human kindness and cynicism, humor, and resignation in the form of stories and personal anecdotes.

He is also remembered as a great panegyrist and lyricist, the author of a number of masterly odes portraying human experience, and particular odes collected in Ghazaliyat (Sonnets) and Qasa'id (Odes).

Sa'adi is known world-wide for one of his aphorisms, which adorns the entrance to the Hall of Nations of the United Nations building in New York.

--------------------------------------

‘Thousand and One Nights’ Illustrations on Display

Iran Daily: Artworks created by a group of young illustrators called the Wander Land Group are currently on display in an exhibition entitled ‘The Thousand and One Nights’ at the Iranian Artists House.
A total of 110 artworks created by young artists are currently on show in the three galleries, namely Bahar, Tabestan and Nami.
Mohammad-Ali Bani-Asadi, Leila Motamed, Parastu Haqqi, Bahareh Rezaei and Ayda Zanjani are among the artists whose works are on display at the showcase, according to Mehr News Agency.
The illustrators portray their own interpretations of stories from ‘The Thousand and One Nights’ in the form of artwork in the showcase, the head of public relation of the group Leila Motamed mentioned in a press release.
She called the holding of an annual exhibition as a way to exchange experiences among the artists.
The group has previously held exhibitions at the Niavaran and Arasbaran Cultural Centers, Laleh Gallery as well as the Nami Gallery of the Iranian Artists Forum.
The exhibit will run until May 3 at the venue located on Mousavi St. off Taleqani Ave.

-------------------------------------

Leader’s Memories At Tehran Book Fair

Iran Daily:‘Khorshid’(The Sun), a book compiled by Ali Bani-lohi will be presented at the 25th Tehran International Book Fair.
The book features memories of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, as well as sections on the 1980-88 war (known as Sacred Defense).
Bani-lohi said, ‘The Sun’ will hold 50 memories of the Leader which have been compiled from the books which have been written about him as well as his speeches.”
Manager of Rah Behesht publications said, “Most of the memories belong to the years of the Islamic Revolution’s victory, the Sacred Defense and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s presidency.”
The work holds 50 pictures of Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei. Published in 192 pages by Rah Behesht, it will be presented at the 25th Tehran International Book Fair by Setaregan publications.
The 25th Tehran International Book Fair will be held at Tehran’s Grand Imam Khomeini Prayer Ground from May 2-12.

---------------------------------------

Sohrab Sepehri’s sister says painting sold at Dubai Christie’s is fake

Tehran Times: Sohrab Sepehri’s sister Parvaneh is convinced that the painting attributed to her brother sold at Christie’s sales of modern and contemporary Arab, Iranian and Turkish art, is a fake.

This is imprudent behavior by individuals who have offered a fraudulent painting for sale at auction, lowering the price of his works and ruining the reputation of Iranian contemporary painting, she told the Persian service of MNA on Sunday.

The auction was held on April 17 and 18 at the Emirates Towers Hotel in Dubai.

“Several years ago, I noticed a fraudulent painting attributed to my brother offered for sale in an expo at Vahdat Hall at a high price. I really wanted to burn the painting in front of the others to prevent more fake works but the idea was not accepted at that time by the management of Iran’s Office for Visual Arts,” she said.

She added that she is not an expert on paintings but she knows her brother’s artworks and can distinguish which one is real and which one is a fake.

She regretted that her brother’s name and signature have been forged, and asked the officials to prevent these types of occurrences.

“I will surely write a letter to the managers of Christie’s and will inform them about the incident,” she concluded.

Sepehri (mostly known by his first name Sohrab) was born in Kashan, Isfahan Province on October 7, 1928 and died on April 21, 1980.

He was a notable modern Iranian painter and poet who wrote in blank verse style. He is regarded as one of the most famous modern Iranian poets.

Id : 135104