Culture Cannot Be Left Behind: Why Was the 'Culture of Iranian-Islamic Works' Halted?
Ceremony Marks the Centenary of Reza Seyyed-Hosseini, Translator, Editor and Lexicographer, at the Great Islamic Encyclopedia Center, with Speeches by Ahmad Masjed-Jame'i, Mehdi Firouzan, Ali Al-Davoud and Mahshid Nonahali
According to Mehr reporter, the ceremony to commemorate the 100th birthday of "Reza Seyed Hosseini", the late translator, editor and cultural writer, was held with the cooperation of the Islamic Encyclopedia Center and Soroush Publishing House. In this ritual, Mahshid Nonhali, Mehdi Ferozan, Seyed Ali Al Daoud and Ahmad Masjid Jamehi gave speeches and the personality dimensions, scientific services and memories of the cooperation of friends and colleagues of this professor Farzaneh were narrated. Also, a documentary film made by Mehrdad Doferi was shown.
The first speaker of this ceremony was Mahshid Nonhali, who honored the memory of Master Reza Seyed Hosseini and the years of cooperation with him, and started his speech with this expression of devotion: What a blessed day it was on October 22, 1305. Master Seyyed Hosseini celebrated his birthday very well. A man who was the embodiment of kindness. In the workplace, meetings, at home and everywhere, without the least restraint, he opened the way for newcomers and novices, and he generously transferred everything he had accumulated from deep knowledge and experience to others.
Pointing to Seyyed Hosseini's rare humility, Nonhali added: Whether in lectures or in smaller gatherings, he expressed literary, philosophical and critical issues in such an unpretentious language that no listener would ever feel confused or ashamed of his ignorance; Rather, the listener, no matter how poor, was eager to search and learn the way slowly and continuously. Yes, Reza Seyyed Hosseini's kindness was also decorated with modesty.
He continued by recalling the time of his collaboration with the professor in "Farhang Athar" and "Soroush" publications and said: "Many times I witnessed people disrupting the work intentionally or unintentionally due to personal interests or ignorance, but despite the initial annoyance, he got over the matter so easily and quickly and did not even hesitate to be kind and help the same people that I said to myself: He must really have another passion in his head and is so full of He was in love with knowledge and culture - or rather, he was so drunk with knowledge and culture - that issues like this only put temporary dust on his face, not on his heart. And this is kind knowledge combined with piety.
Pointing to Professor Ahmad Sami's (Gilani) proposal to head this big project, Nonhali continued: I believe that Professor Sami, fully aware of the moral qualities, tolerance, seriousness and magnanimity of Professor Seyed Hosseini, proposed him for this responsibility at the very beginning. Mr. Seyed Hosseini sometimes faced serious issues and even unkindness in carrying out this work, which he patiently endured. Because he considered himself responsible not for Soroush publications, but for the culture of this country.
About Seyed Hosseini's tireless spirit, he added: Whenever I talk about Master Seyed Hosseini, I would like to repeat that he had a world of love for the culture of this land. A world was science, gentleness, kindness and depression, and despite all this, a world had a passion for life in the heart of knowledge and culture. And of course, the greatest unkindness of the crooked era happened where mothers and fathers mourn; It was the same passion and intoxication that made Master Seyyed Hosseini, with a band in hand and bent over, to finish the work of "Culture of Works" and after that he did not sit idle and founded another great work.
In the end, Nounhali mentioned other big projects such as the translation of the "Universalis" encyclopedia and its art and literature section, and mentioning a memory from the first years of cooperation on "Culture of Works" he added: "One day from the first years of work... it was about leaving, staying and escaping brains." Professor Seyed Hosseini told how at the beginning of the revolution, one of his very close relatives who lived in America, earnestly asked him to leave the country and live a calm and carefree life due to his degree and background in telecommunication engineering. The teacher replied: If people like us leave, what will happen to the culture of this country? Culture cannot be abandoned; Now, I myself am the culture of this country, where should I go? And he stayed and stayed.
Seyyed Hosseini diligently tried to acquire knowledge and learn languages from the very beginning of his youth
In the continuation of the ceremony, Seyyed Ali Al-Davoud stood behind the podium and while expressing his memories of his years of friendship and close cooperation with Master Seyed Hosseini, he said: In those days, the writing of the culture of works had not yet begun. The work was going on with the translation of world works translated from French to Persian. Even though that book benefited from a prestigious scientific board such as Zindayadan Ahmad Samii Gilani, Abolhassan Najafi and Ismail Saadat, and all of them were known as outstanding translators, but doing all the things - including choosing a translator, communication, discussions to solve problems, editing the translation, correcting errors, checking the latest examples and publishing permission - was entirely the responsibility of Seyyed Hosseini; However, it should not be forgotten that in the matter of scientific editing of the works, he always benefited from the help of Professor Ahmad Samii.
After describing the process of publishing the volumes of "Culture of Works" and then "Culture of Iranian Islamic Works", Al-Davoud pointed out some of the sufferings and mildness of the master's time and added: Seyyed Hosseini, in addition to being a scholar, was a human being with countless moral and spiritual virtues. He always considered the positive aspects of people, was benevolent, and if he saw a bright talent in someone, he would definitely encourage him. Despite this, he was extremely honorable and trusted others easily. I don't forget the incident that he told me several times and that always tormented him: one of Sahibfazl's close friends and writers had established an office in the late 40s and asked Seyed Hosseini to participate. He submitted all his savings until 1348 as capital, but his simplicity was abused in the preparation of the document; In such a way that not only he did not receive any profit, but also the principal of his capital was lost.
Regarding the selection of the professor as an associate member of the Persian Language and Literature Academy, Al-Davoud said: When the academy chose Seyed Hosseini as an associate member and sent the decision, one day when he visited Soroush, I saw him very upset and depressed. He showed me the verdict and said he intends to return it. I dissuaded him and reminded him that his academic position is not lower than some permanent members of the academy. It is no secret to any master of knowledge that Seyyed Hosseini diligently tried to acquire knowledge and learn languages from the very beginning of his youth.
In another part of his speech, he mentioned the fate of the "Culture of Iranian Islamic Works" after the death of the master in 2008 and added: After the publication of the fourth volume, one of the managers of Soroush Publications at the time opposed this valuable project and finally managed to shut it down. Under the pretext that the authorities have given orders, a letter that no one has ever seen! It should be clearly said that despite the numerous encyclopedias that are being written in Iran, there is no special specialized encyclopedia in the field of bibliography except for the culture of Iranian Islamic works.
In the end, Al-Davoud mentioned the memory of his first meeting with the professor in the late 60s, along with other great people such as Ahmad Samii, Ismail Saadat and Abolhasan Najafi, and concluded his speech as follows: When Shadarvan Seyed Hosseini found out that I was among the colleagues of this center, he praised the hard work so much that it surprised me. The deceased always had unique manners and manners, and whenever members of the press interviewed him, he was bound to praise the efforts of Iranian Islamic culture and works. May his soul be happy, he was among the leaders of cultured men of our era.
Seyyed Hosseini was a guiding light for our generation to know literary schools
In the continuation of this commemoration ceremony, Mehdi Firouzan addressed the issue and referring to the irreplaceable role of Professor Reza Seyed Hosseini in the formation of the current of thought and familiarizing different generations with world literature, he said: A part of our youth was directly tied to the works and name of the late Seyed Hosseini. I remember when I was 15 years old when I saw a book in the teacher's hand titled Surrealism; I wrote it down, came home and asked my father what this book is. My father said: Go take a book from my library called Literary Schools written by Reza Seyed Hosseini and read it. I was familiar with my father's library; I picked up the second volume of the book dedicated to Surrealism and when I looked, I saw that a world of schools and "isms" had opened before me. In those days, we claimed to be intellectuals in Ferdowsi and Sokhan magazines, and ambitious names were big and vague for us, but the book of literary schools easily opened the way to understand what each school is.
Recalling the era before the revolution and the publication of "Tamasha" magazine, Ferozan added: "Before the revolution, Tamasha magazine promoted unlabeled intellectual flow." At that time, we had different currents such as left, right and religious, but Tamasha was a current that did not actually use culture for ideology; He wanted art for the sake of art and culture for the upliftment of man. For someone like me coming from a religious past, Tamasha was very responsive and not overly biased. In those years, the number of leading figures of literature, cinema, theater and music in the world and in the country did not reach 200 people, and knowing the world of thought was much easier than today because of this coherence and concentration.
Referring to his entry into "Soroush" publishing house and close cooperation with Professor Seyed Hosseini, he said: Seyed Hosseini was a guiding light for our generation to know literary schools. When I entered Soroush and got acquainted with cinema, theater, painting and visual arts, the knowledge gained from the book of literary schools was a strong support for me. Years later, when I sat on the management chair in Soroush, I remembered the day when I had the book of literary schools in my hand and I said to myself: Today I am sitting on the same chair where that great man was present.
In another part of his memoirs, Firouzan mentioned how he got to know Master Seyed Hosseini in person and said: During the book fair, I went to Mrs. Moshiri and I got to know Mr. Seyed Hosseini. I made an appointment with them and when I saw the master for the first time, he had a face with angry eyebrows but a kind heart. In the very first encounter, they accepted me with infinite kindness and as soon as I was invited, they accepted to come to Sorush without the slightest hesitation. In 1364, he joined the Soroush Book Council and the great project of art culture was pursued with his thoughts and dreams.
While emphasizing the independence and originality of the independent intellectual movement in Iran, he added: It cannot be said that the likes of Seyed Hosseini, Ahmad Samii, Ismail Saadat, Dr. Sadeghi or Abolhassan Najafi came from the Ivory Tower; They were exactly from the middle class and academics and they translated the thought for the hearts of the people. Unfortunately, after the death of Master Seyed Hosseini and the stopping of the compilation and publication of the Iranian-Islamic volume of Farhang Atar, the void of these works was felt more than ever. Books that today's generation can rely on to find authentic sources in today's whirlwind of false and unoriginal information.
Mehrdad Daftari's documentary film and Reza Seyed Hosseini's memorial
In the continuation of the ceremony, producer and documentary maker Mehrdad Dafari gave explanations about the screening of the documentary film about Master Seyed Hosseini. Referring to his visit and presence in the master's house and shared memories with his family (including Kaveh and Babak Seyed Hosseini), he stated that since those years, he decided to make a documentary film about the aspects of the life and services of this master Farzaneh.
He added that due to the simultaneity with other projects and some technical and administrative problems in the preparation of the final version of the film made by Afshin Alizadeh, its full screening was postponed to another meeting, which is scheduled to be held in collaboration with Ali Dehbashi.
The last speaker of this ceremony was Ahmad Masoud Jame'i, who started his speech by expressing his satisfaction to be present in this cultural honor and referring to Seyed Hosseini's personality and academic qualities, he said: My first acquaintance with Seyed Hosseini goes back to the television programs of the past decades. At that time, when television had only two channels, cultural and literary programs were held with prominent figures. In one of the discussions when I reached the teacher, even though his mastery and scientific status was far beyond my young self, they encouraged me with utmost magnanimity and humility; And they remembered a point that I think is left unsaid in these pictures and meetings: Master Seyyed Hosseini was a child of suffering.
Emphasizing this description, Jame'i added: He worked hard and rose in very difficult social, political and family conditions. The brilliant generation of the 14th century Solar, which raised many great people in its bosom, almost all of them grew tall with special efforts, dedication and unrelenting companionship with the culture of this country, while facing difficult problems. The teacher himself was also from the same tribe; As in his youth and due to the lack of easy access to books, he copied his favorite works to make them his own. This situation is very different from today's situation. Precisely because they were children of suffering, a deep humility was hidden in their essence and they worked for fields that would have a lasting fruit for the society.
Pointing to the deep connection between nationality, Persian language and Seyyed Hosseini's cultural efforts, he continued: Master Seyed Hosseini, during his fruitful life, including during the difficult period of the Second World War in Ardabil and the most inflammatory times, never distanced himself from the Persian language and did not create any work in a language other than Persian. This element of nationality and deep-rooted dependence on Iranian culture gives him strength and power. As he compiled a collection of works despite the limitations of prominent translators, he introduced a sea of thoughts, schools and great names of the world to the intellectual society of Iran.
In another part of his memories of his cooperation with professor Seyed Hosseini in the field of publishing and translating the great novels of the world, Masjid Jamehi said: When projects such as the publication of reviews of the great novels of the world or the formation of specialized councils (with the presence of great people such as Reza Seyed Hosseini, Kamran Fani and Dr. Reza Davari Ardakani) were discussed, he participated with patience, wisdom and complete mastery of literary schools. He wrote the book of literary schools and worked on completing and revising it until the end of his life; Because he was not looking for name and bread, but wanted science for science and Iran for Iran.
In the end, he pointed to the fundamental differences between the past generation of culture builders and today's conditions of bookmaking and accelerated currents, and added: Master Seyed Hosseini does not belong to the past; He belongs to today and tomorrow of this land. He was not just a translator, but a responsible lover of Iran who suffered poverty and the difficulties of the path of science to light the way for future generations. I hope that his valuable works will be preserved and published, especially carefully and carefully in the next editions and with appendices, so that today's generation can also benefit from the source of his clear thought and knowledge.