The closing ceremony of the first edition of Angel Prize, a short story writing competition, was held on Friday at Fereshteh Book City Complex in Tehran.
The event was organized by the Book City to promote story writing and enhance the culture of book reading, ISNA reported.
The theme was on recalling memories of the 1980s in Iran. Ten winners received cash awards, commendation plaque and statuettes from actress Roya Teimourian and authors Lily Golestan and Mostafa Mastour.
Mehdi Firouzan, managing director of Book City, pointed to various activities undertaken at its different branches and said, “The essence of the initiatives is to help individual and social development.”
Established in 1995 in Tehran, Book City is a nongovernment institute that conducts a wide range of activities including: opening chain stores to present cultural and educational products, holding specialized book exhibitions, organizing workshops, seminars and lectures, as well as translating and publishing books in different fields.
Directors Behrouz Afkhami and Marzieh Boroumand felicitated actors Sahar Dolatshahi, Saber Abar, Mahnaz Afshar and Hengameh Qaziani, theater director Arvand Dashtaray and movie critic Omid Rohani, who participated as honorary guests.
Significance
Seyyed Mohammad Beheshti, a member of the Iranian Academy of Arts, explained the significance of the 1980s in Iran, and said, “At that time, we had not witnessed information explosion, so we lived in quieter and less crowded places, a total contrast to our noisy and busy world of today. The experiences of the 80s can provide lessons for our stories, movies and even lifestyle.”
Tributes were paid to veteran poet Ahmad-Reza Ahmadi who could not attend the program due to illness.
Author and film producer Fereshteh Taerpour described Ahmadi as “a wonderful artist liked by all literary and art figures. He cheers the spirit of others through his humorous and sweet disposition”.
Born in Kerman, Iran, Ahmadi, 75, was fond of Persian literature from a young age. His deep knowledge of classical poetry and literature as well as familiarity with Nima Yushij’s (known as the father of modern Persian poetry and founder of new poetry) modern style, led him to embark on a “new wave” in Iran poetry.
