IrajPezeshkzad (whose name was scribbled in small fl letters across the top of the book) was one of the reasons I learned to appreciate my mother tongue.
Pezeshkzad's particular fondness for the character is based on Mash Qasem's wisdom, which the author emphasized has nothing to do with knowledge or education which the character lacks.
Pezeshkzad's touching summary of his task as a writer: that even though he may touch on tragic tones and induce tears in his readers' eyes, he will never allow those tears to fall; he will always prevent the tear by injecting a dose of laughter when least expected.
Iran News - Pezeshkzad's latest work in summer(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-09-15)
According to CHN, Pezeshkzad's latest book is written in a style which is similar to his previous work, 'Nik Akhtar Family'.
"Pezeshkzad is rewriting and preparing satirical adaptations from famous mystical stories of Molana Jalaleddin Rumi Balkhi's 'Masnavi Book of Poems'," he added.
The pivotal personalities of Pezeshkzad's book are a rich father who is in Iran and his son who is studying abroad.
Americans have become so accustomed to seeing televised images of dour Ayatollahs and grim-faced Iranian demonstrators shouting "Death to the Great Satan" that we have forgotten that Iran is also the land of Omar Khayyam.
Pezeshkzad and his characters have more in common with the 12th century poet than the religious revolutionaries who overthrew the Shah would like, and the readers will give thanks with laughter.
Early in World War II, the unnamed 15-year-old narrator becomes infatuated with his first cousin Layli, the daughter of the narrator's uncle, derisively nicknamed Napoleon for constantly voicing admiration for the French general.
Amazon.ca: Books: My Uncle Napoleon: a Novel(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-09-15)
by IrajPezeshkzad (Author), Dick Davis (Author), Azar Nafisi (Author)
Pezeshkzad supplies an instantly recognizable, universal cast: the foolish family retainer (the Sancho Panza to Dear Uncle's Quixote), the worldly and womanizing uncle, the disgruntled brother-in-law, the officious local police officer, the brawny butcher with an attractive younger wife.
While such characters made the novel a huge bestseller and a national touchstone for comic types in Iran, they don't make the best international travelers, and stateside readers may have trouble discerning, or caring about, how they satirize specific elements of Iranian society.
www.Bia2.com > Great Books to Read(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-09-15)
and Pezeshkzad’s ”Daayi jaan Napoleon” is one of my absolute favourite Iranian books! It’s a masterpiece with full-fledged characters and coherent story with a base in the reality and history!
Pezeshkzad’s ”Daayi jaan Napoleon” is one of my absolute favourite Iranian books!
Oh boy I could go on forever about Dayi jan I think Pezeshkzad is by farrrrrrrr the best author I have ever encountered in terms of describing the characters in such a vivid and humorous manner .
Dick's contribution to the Festschrift is entitled; "Interpolations to the text of the Shahnameh: an Introductory Typology." Dick's new book of poems, Belonging, has been accepted for publication by Swallow/Ohio in the US, and simultaneously by Anvil Press in the UK.
Last year, Professor Davis received the first annual AIIS (American Institute of Iranian Studies) Prize for his translation of a Persian novel, My Uncle Napoleon, by IrajPezeshkzad.
He and his wife Afkham Darbandi also received the second annual AIIS Prize for their translation of the 12th-century poet Farid Attar's The Conference of the Birds.
