TEHRAN -- A Russian translation of a part of a Persian novel based on the life story of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Iran’s last monarch, was published in the October edition of the Russian journal “Foreign Literature”.
Written by Mohammad-Kazem Mazinani, “The Shah without a Sheen” was translated into Russian by Alexander Androshkin. Sheen is a letter of the Persian alphabet that represents the sound of “sh” in English.
The novel was published in early 2011 and was acclaimed at several Iranian literary events.
“The Shah without a Sheen” was published by Sureh-Mehr, a publishing company which is affiliated with the Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization.
The novel was warmly welcomed by Persian readers. However, the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance demanded that Sureh-Mehr make over 20 modifications to the second edition, which was published in early 2012.
The title of the novel is a play on words. Only “ah” remains if the “sh” is dropped from the word “shah”. “Ah” means sorrow in Persian. And the novel, in fact, tells how events turned the shah’s life into misery despite his position as king.
“The Shah without a Sheen” is the first book of a trilogy. Mazinani has recently completed the second part, entitled “The Ah with a Sheen”, which is about the political life of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
MMS/YAW/HG
END