Franz Kafka commemorated in Tehran

TEHRAN -- The Persian literary monthly Bokhara paid tribute to the German language author Franz Kafka (1883–1924), one of the most influential authors of the 20th century, during a ceremony at the Mahmud Afshar Foundation on Sunday.

 

The Czech Chargé d’Affaires Petr Stepanek, Cultural Attaché of the German Embassy Otto Graf, along with several Iranian literati attended the meeting, Persian media reported on Monday.

 

The lecturers reviewed works by the author and praised his position as a cultural heritage of Prague and central Europe.

 

Contemporary author Mahmud Dowlatabadi, famous for his novel “Kalidar”, made a short speech at the ceremony, admiring Kafka for his ability in writing on the major points of life using the shortest descriptions with his miraculous endings.

 

“Kafka is not important in his own self, rather, he is known for his influence on the literature of the 20th century of Europe, having left an impression on us as well,” Dowlatabadi said.

 

He called Kafka a mortal resistance against inertia, an individual who knows he will be defeated but still resists.

 

Richard Muller, a Czech literature professor at Charles University in the U.S., who currently teaches at New York University in Prague, was next who delivered a short speech on Kafka and his works.

 

The translator of Kafka’s books into Persian Ali-Asghar Haddad was the next who talked about the characteristics of the author.

 

“Kafka was born in 1883 in Prague, lived for 41 years and died in 1924 in Vienna. He is not alive to explain about his works, he is only among us in photos, posters and books along with huge articles written about him. The articles try to explain about him and his works, however they do not reach a conclusion, and that is why each time new questions are added to the previous ones,” Haddad said.

 

Many readers try to seek the author within his works and many critics believe that one needs to know the time of Kafka in order to know him and his books.

 

A documentary about life of Kafka was screened for the participants who later visited the exhibition of the Persian translations of Kafka’s books and his photos held on the side section of the program.

 

RM/YAW

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