In countries with a tradition of theater, plays are written based on classical literature and myths of the same land.
Noted Iranian actor Dariush Arjmand made the remarks at the unveiling ceremony of his play ‘The Elephant-Neck King’ held on Friday in the Hall of Books and Art of the 28th Tehran International Book Fair (TIBF), at Tehran Mosalla (prayer ground), IBNA reported.
“Iranian playwrights have ignored the rich treasure of Iranian classical literature and mythology,” Arjmand lamented adding, “If you consider the dramatic literature of countries with a theatrical tradition, you will notice that their most important plays are adapted; the playwrights make use of the works by their novelists and mythology writers and turn them into plays.”
He further said classical literature plays a significant role in the field of performing arts in all nations, and “we have the opportunity to produce movies, serials, and plays by adapting the great treasures in our own classical literature.”
Calling books “silent teachers,” he said books are the products of experiences by authors “to guide the coming generations.”
“Our oral literature is also a great source for adaptation. Folk tales, legends and anecdotes narrated by our grandmothers contained several moral and ethical lessons. In fact we can say that our grandmas were philosophers, psychologists, and historians despite never having academic studies,” Arjmand said.
‘The Elephant-Neck King’ is from a story by the great Persian poet and literary master Saadi (1210-1291). It is about a king who falls from his horse while hunting and his neck sinks into his body. It is a satire in which Saadi criticized the demeanor of rulers hundreds of years ago.
