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The Storyteller's Canvas: The Life and Fiction of Simin Behbahani

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2022

M. R. Ghanoonparvar
M. R. Ghanoonparvar*
Affiliation:
Persian and Comparative Literature in the University of Texas at Austin.
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Abstract

This article addresses an important, usually neglected, aspect of the work of Simin Behbahani, namely her prose and fiction, mostly autobiographical writings, which should be indispensable to an understanding of her poetry. While Behbahni views her poetry to be about life in general and says that she utilizes the language of the people to compose her poems, she also finds prose a more appropriate form for writing on certain topics. With an examination of a number of her prose writings, including “An Mard, Mard-e Hamraham” [“That Man, My Companion”], “Ba Qalb-e Khod Cheh Kharidam” [“What I Bought with My Heart”], and “Kelid-o Khanjar” [“Key and Dagger”], the article explores the poet as a storyteller and the link between her poetry and fictional prose, especially in terms of her life story.

Type
Research Article
Information
Iranian Studies , Volume 41 , Issue 1: Simin Behbahani , February 2008 , pp. 37 - 45
Copyright
Copyright © Association For Iranian Studies, Inc 2008

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References

1 Behbahani, Simin, “Ba Talash va Talatom” [“With Strife and Tumult”], in Ba Qalb-e Khod Cheh Kharidam: Gozineh-ye Qessehha va Yadha, first printing (Los Angeles, 1996), 17Google Scholar. Among the handful of critics who have written briefly about Simin Behbahani's prose are Abedi, Kamyar, Tarannom-e Ghazal: Barrasi-ye Zendegi va Asar-e Simin Behbahani (Tehran, 1379 2000)Google Scholar, and in somewhat more detail, Abumahbub, Ahmad, Gahvareh-ye Sabzafra: Zendegi va She'r-e Simin Behbahani (Tehran, 1382 2003)Google Scholar.

2 Abumahbub, Gahvareh-ye Sabzafra, 412.

4 Behbahani, “Ba Talash va Talatom,” 10.

3 Behbahani, “Ba Talash va Talatom,” 9.

6 Behbahani, “Ba Talash va Talatom,” 11.

5 Behbahani, “Ba Talash va Talatom,” 10–11.

7 Behbahani, “Ba Talash va Talatom,” 11–12.

8 Behbahani, “Ba Talash va Talatom,” 12.

9 Behbahani, “Ba Talash va Talatom,” 13.

10 Behbahani, “Ba Talash va Talatom,” 14.

12 Behbahani, “Ba Talash va Talatom,” 15.

11 Behbahani, “Ba Talash va Talatom,” 14.

13 Behbahani, “Ba Talash va Talatom,” 15.

14 Behbahani, “Jahan va Kar-e Jahan,” Ba Qalb-e Khod Cheh Kharidam: Gozineh-ye Qessehha va Yadha, 21–35.

15 Abumahbub, Gahvareh-ye Sabzafra, 401.

16 Behbahani, “Jannatolmoluk,” Ba Qalb-e Khod Cheh Kharidam: Gozineh-ye Qessehha va Yadha, 37–58.

17 Behbahani, “Jannatolmoluk,” 41.

19 Behbahani, “Fenjan-e Chehel Sal-e Pish” [“The Cup from Forty Years Ago”], 62.

18 Behbahani, “Fenjan-e Chehel Sal-e Pish” [“The Cup from Forty Years Ago”], Ba Qalb-e Khod Cheh Kharidam: Gozineh-ye Qessehha va Yadha, 57–69.

20 Behbahani, “Fenjan-e Chehel Sal-e Pish” [“The Cup from Forty Years Ago”], 63.

22 Behbahani, “Arusak-e Kohneh'I” [“The Rag Doll”], 77.

21 Behbahani, “Arusak-e Kohneh'I” [“The Rag Doll”], Ba Qalb-e Khod Cheh Kharidam: Gozineh-ye Qessehha va Yadha, 71–77.

23 Behbahani, “Dar Halqeh-ye Kimiya va Zanjir,” Ba Qalb-e Khod Cheh Kharidam: Gozineh-ye Qessehha va Yadha, 79–92.

24 Behbahani, “Dar Hengameh-ye Khoruskhan,” Ba Qalb-e Khod Cheh Kharidam: Gozineh-ye Qessehha va Yadha, 93–103.

25 Behbahani, “Bazl-e Moddat,” Ba Qalb-e Khod Cheh Kharidam: Gozineh-ye Qessehha va Yadha, 105–128.

26 Behbahani, “Sib-e Sorkhi keh Lak Bardasht,” Ba Qalb-e Khod Cheh Kharidam: Gozineh-ye Qessehha va Yadha, 129–139.

27 Behbahani, “Hamlehman az Bad,” Ba Qalb-e Khod Cheh Kharidam: Gozineh-ye Qessehha va Yadha, 141–152.

28 Behbahani, “Eshqra Mikoshand,” Ba Qalb-e Khod Cheh Kharidam: Gozineh-ye Qessehha va Yadha, 153–160.

29 Behbahani, “Zani Saboktar az Hava,” in Kelid va Khanjar: Qessehha va Ghossehha (Tehran, 1379 2000).

30 Behbahani, “Sangra Aramtar Begozarid,” in Ba Qalb-e Khod Cheh Kharidam: Gozineh-ye Qessehha va Yadha, 233–245.

31 Behbahani, “Akram Kutuleh,” in Ba Qalb-e Khod Cheh Kharidam: Gozineh-ye Qessehha va Yadha, 259–271.

32 Regarding the language of poetry in Simin Behbahani's poetry, see Haqshenas, Ali Mohammad, “Dobareh Misazamat Ghazal,” in Zani ba Damani She'r: Jashnnameh-ye Simin Behbahani, ed. Dehbashi, Ali (Tehran, 1383 2004), 564–575Google Scholar.

33 Behbahani, “Az Ghorub ta Ghorub,” Ba Qalb-e Khod Cheh Kharidam: Gozineh-ye Qessehha va Yadha, 163–178.

34 See the section on “Marsiyyehha,” in Behbahani's Kelid va Khanjar: Qessehha va Ghossehha.

35 See “Vaqti keh Asman Abi ast,” in Behbahani's Kelid va Khanjar: Qessehha va Ghossehha.

36 Behbahani, An Mard, Mard-e Hamraham [That Man, My Companion], (Tehran, 1369 1990)Google Scholar.