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Kamran Talattof
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Persian, the official language of Iran, Tajikistan and Afghanistan, is one of the age-old languages in the Middle East with a speaker population of about 130 million. It descends from the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European family of languages.
In an interview with Iran Daily, Kamran Talattof spoke of the Persian language and literature in general and its status quo in the United Status in particular. He also talked about ways and means of promoting the language in non-Persian speaking countries.
Talattof is associate professor of Persian language, literature and Iranian culture in the Department of Near Eastern Studies at the University of Arizona, United States. He is proficient in English, Persian, French and Arabic and has compiled and translated many articles, books and monographs on Iranian culture and language.
Iran Daily: How do you see the status of Persian literature and poetry in the United States?
Talattof: Inconsistent. That is, Persian literature and poetry are sometimes well-read and well-presented in particular times and places, and absolutely absent in other times and places. For a long time, Persian poetry was eclipsed by all social and political changes in Iran and then suddenly Rumi’s poetry became a bestseller. Aside from Rumi and Khayyam whose works have become somewhat canonical, at least in the literary circles, we witnessed occasional and often temporary success with the translation of a classical or modern work of Persian literature. The translations of Persian works by Dick Davis and Julie Scott Meisami have particularly gained some attention outside the gurus and academic circles. For achieving a consistent status, a popular rank, first of all great works must be produced. Then, more interaction between the Persian speaking society and the American people, more scholarly activities, more and better translations, and finally, more support from official institutions can help Persian literature to gain a more consistent and more prestigious situation.
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To what extent are Americans interested in Persian language and literature?
Americans are interested in new ideas, fresh thoughts, and friendly approaches. Persian classes on American university campuses are growing in number and size. However, there is nothing inherent about the Persian language and literature that can mesmerize Americans. It is all in the content and in the interactions. I argue that the rise of the relative popularity of Persian classes is mostly due to the positive experiences that Americans have had with Iranian-American or Iranian communities, Iranian ethnic and religious minorities and individuals here in the United States.
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What measures have been taken to meet the needs of enthusiasts? Has there been any relevant research?
No research has been done about the needs, the measures, and the methods of promotion of the status of the Persian language instruction. The Council for the Promotion of Instruction of Persian Language and Literature in North America held a conference in New York in 2002, and during the conference, there were some discussions of the need and means of improving the situation. I was invited to present in this conference through the efforts of Mr. Mohsen Soleimani whose efforts on behalf of the cause of the Persian language and literature both in the US and now in Iran have been impressive. Aside from this, most of the works regarding the instruction of the Persian language and Persian literature have been done by and in the academic world. Even during the hardship of the 1980s, American universities and their faculty tried their best to keep classes going. The situation has improved since then. Not only a second and third generation of Iranians in the US have become interested in the Persian Language, but a great number of Americans have become more interested in learning about other cultures since the disastrous events of September 2001. The reality is that as long as the relation between the two countries has not improved and as long as students do not travel to Iran with ease and convenience, the situation of Persian language and literature will improve minimally. American students who take a foreign language would like to use it in real life. They would like to travel to Iran (the same way many Iranians like to visit the US). Once the relation between the two countries improves, we will also witness a rise in the interest in Persian as well.
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What should be done to draw the youth toward literature and poetry?
I think we start asking why youth should be drawn toward literature. Do we want them to become more familiar with a long literary tradition? Do we want them to memorize poetry? Do we want them to learn to write better? Do we want to encourage them to produce creative writing? And what youth are we talking about? All of them? Those who already like literature? Those who live in Iran or those who live outside Iran? Depending on the goals, there are different things that can be done. For example, in regard to that latter question, translation would help; translation from Persian into other languages and from other languages into Persian. Also, creative writing courses would help as well. When I lived in Iran, the concept of creative writing was fairly unknown, and I don’t think it is widely practiced now either. Moreover, no matter what the goals are, literature and poetry should do most of the work. The more ideas and universal concepts are presented in poetry, the more the youth will be attracted to it.
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What is the ideology of literary revolution in the early 20th century?
Modern Persian literature emerged during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as a secular activity and has since demonstrated close affinity to such diverse ideological paradigms as nationalism, Marxism, feminism, and Islam. Each ideological paradigm has, in its own way, influenced the form, characterization, and figurative language of literary texts. It has set the criteria for indigenous literary criticism and has determined which issues related to politics, religion, or culture are to be the focus of literary journals. And these ideological features have changed in an episodic fashion according to the prevailing social and political conditions. In each of these episodes, literary texts are characterized by the representation of a specific ideological issue related to cultural change, social revolution, gender equality, or religion.
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You have compiled a book on Nezami Ganjavi. How has Nezami’s poetry given him an enduring significance among the great classical Persian poets?
In addition to the fact that he was very prolific, and one of the most emulated Persian poets, he is also one of the pioneers in the romantic genre. He is also very open-minded in his work, making it very enduring throughout the ages. I maintain that Nezami, reflecting on human love, offers a favorable and consistent concept of love and its diverse forms in his presentation of female characters. He portrays these characters in their roles as lovers, heroines, rulers, and even educators and challengers of men, as he places them in a variety of contexts. Given the patriarchal nature of the 12th century Iranian society, such a portrayal of women seems anachronistic, unlikely, and puzzling. Comparing Nezami’s characterization of women with that of Ferdowsi, who wrote approximately two centuries before him, and Jami, who appeared approximately three centuries after him, will further illustrate Nezami’s unique position. Although these and many other classical poets, as Meisami asserts, may in one way or another address themes in their love stories such as self-knowledge, ethics, and the protagonist’s suitability as a lover and king, they differ in the way they characterize women.
