Overview
- Introduces the canonical author Sadeq Hedayat and his influence on modern Persian and World literature
- Offers a critical reading of Hedayat’s literary profile and explores four aspects of Hedayat’s work: translation, fiction writing, folk culture and use of genres
- Critically reflects on the status of classical Persian literature in the contemporary landscape of the world’s literary studies
Part of the book series: Canon and World Literature (CAWOLI)
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Table of contents (7 chapters)
Keywords
About this book
This book introduces the canonical figure Sadegh Hedayat (1903–1951) and draws a comprehensive image of a major intellectual force in the context of both modern Persian Literature and World Literature. A prolific writer known for his magnum opus, The Blind Owl (1936), Hedayat established the use of common language for literary purposes, opened new horizons on imaginative literature and explored a variety of genres in his creative career. This book looks beyond the reductive critical tendencies that read a rich and diverse literary profile in light of Hedayat’s suicide, arguing instead that his literary imagination was not solely the result of genius but rather enriched by a vast network of the world’s literary traditions. This study reflects on Hedayat’s attempts at various genres of artistic creation, including painting, fiction writing, satire and scholarly research, as well as his persistent struggles for artistic authenticity, which transcended solidly established literary and artistic norms. Providing a critical reading of Hedayat’s work to untangle aspects of his writing – including reflections on science, religion, nationalism and coloniality – alongside his pioneering work on folk culture, and how humor informs his writings, this text offers a critical review of the status of Persian literature in the contemporary landscape of the world’s literary studies.
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Bibliographic Information
Book Title: World Literature and Hedayat’s Poetics of Modernity
Authors: Omid Azadibougar
Series Title: Canon and World Literature
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-1691-7
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Singapore
eBook Packages: Literature, Cultural and Media Studies, Literature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
Hardcover ISBN: 978-981-15-1690-0Published: 02 February 2020
Softcover ISBN: 978-981-15-1693-1Published: 02 February 2021
eBook ISBN: 978-981-15-1691-7Published: 01 February 2020
Series ISSN: 2662-7841
Series E-ISSN: 2662-785X
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XVII, 203
Number of Illustrations: 5 b/w illustrations, 7 illustrations in colour
Topics: Comparative Literature, Indo-Iranian Languages, Language and Literature, Regional and Cultural Studies