The latest cultural headlines in the media.

Kazzazi Authors Novel on Ferdowsi

Iran Daily: Mir-Jalaleddin Kazzazi, a renowned Iranian expert on Persian epic masterpiece ‘Shahnameh’ has recently begun writing a novel on its composer Abolqasem Ferdowsi.
“I have made use of my vivid imagination to form a story about Ferdowsi, with a glance at history since it is a historical novel”, Kazzazi told ISNA.
He said that this is not a biography but a story based on Ferdowsi’s life, adding that there is not much written about Ferdowsi and most of what we have heard about him are legends.
He explained that he liked to test his writing skills, “of course the publisher (Moin Publications) also pushed me to write the novel.”
Kazzazi also said that he had written a short story for young adults about the Persian poet of the 12th century Khaqani Shervani many years ago, “However I must admit that this is a new experience for me since it is a long story.”
The outstanding master of Persian literature is also known for the usage of pure Persian words in his translations.
Translations of the French classic ‘Lancelot, le Chevalier de la Charrette’ (Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart) as well as ‘The Metamorphoses’ by the Roman poet Ovid from French into Persian are among Kazzazi’s credits.

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Iran, Turkey Sign Agreement On Educational Cooperation

Iran Daily: Iran and Turkey signed an agreement to cooperate in educational areas.
The agreement was signed by the Iranian Minister of Education Hamid Reza Haji-Babaei and his Turkish counterpart Omar Dincar in 17 topics.
Based on the agreement, the two countries are committed to make use of the existing potentials to promote bilateral cooperation in various educational areas, IRNA said.
Iran and Turkey agreed to exchange educational experts and scholars, cooperate in students’ Olympiads, compile textbooks, improve hygienic conditions in schools, promote vocational skills and hold joint workshops.
The Turkish minister described as incredible the growth rate of the number of schools in Iran and said building 3,000 schools in a single year in Iran proves Iranian officials’ especial attention to educational issues.

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Iranian troupe to read “A Night Out”

Tehran Times: An Iranian troupe plans to read Harold Pinter’s “A Night Out” in a performance at the Iranian Artists Forum (IAF) on Friday.

Masud Delkhah will direct the play reading performance at IAF’s Entezami Hall.

The performance is part of a play reading program, which has been organized by the Stage Actors Guild of the Iranian Theater Forum.

The play has been translated by Ehsan Noruzi into Persian and Mahbubeh Bayat, Nemat Asadollahi, Sahra Fat’hi and Shahab Shadabi are main members of the troupe.

The play is about Albert Stokes, a young man in his late twenties who spends a night outside his house. Albert is a loner who lives with his emotionally suffocating mother and works in an office.

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Puppet show on Persian mystic wins top prize at Polish festival

Tehran Times: An Iranian puppet show on the Persian mystic Mansur Al-Hallaj (c. 858–922) has won the Grand Prix at the 25th Valise International Theater Festival in Poland.

The festival was held from June 12 to 16 in Lomža.

Entitled “And He Said: You Will See Today, Tomorrow and the Day After Tomorrow”, the puppet show was a monologue performed by puppeteer Hoda Naseh. Zohreh Behruzinia directed the performance.

“Our troupe has also been invited to perform the puppet show in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Russia and Serbia,” Behruzinia said in a press release on Wednesday.

The play is about the life story of the Persian mystic, revolutionary writer and pious teacher of Sufism Mansur Al-Hallaj from the viewpoint of his wife.

Hallaj is mostly famous for his poetry and for his execution by order of the Abbasid Caliph Al-Muqtadir after a long, drawn-out investigation.

Playwright Nima Dehqani said he has tried to present a new look at Hallaj’s family life and the loneliness of his wife.

The Valise International Theater Festival is an important artistic and cultural event on the calendar of cultural events in Europe.

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