Book City Institute will start cooperation with Chekhov Cultural Center in Moscow and Saint Petersburg’s Writers’ Union, according to the institute’s deputy of cultural and international affairs, Ali Asghar Mohammadkhani.
Mohammadkhani visited Saint Petersburg and Moscow where he attended two cultural events along with the company of researcher and humor writer Roya Sadr and writer and researcher Mojtaba Bashardoust, a representative from the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, Mehr News reported.
On September 6, they visited St. Petersburg’s Writers’ Union where they discussed contemporary humor writing, literary criticism and fiction writing in Iran during the past three decades with a group of Russian poets, writers and critics.
The two sides agreed to conduct regular programs at the institute in Iran and the Writers’ Union in St. Petersburg toe help spread awareness about their contemporary literature.
Chekhov in Iran
The Iranian delegation met in Moscow on September 9. Chekhov Cultural Center hosted the meeting on ‘Chekhov in Iran’. The event was attended by a number of the center’s officials and specialists in works of Anton Chekhov (1860-1904), the Russian writer and playwright, considered by many to be among the world’s greatest writers of short fiction.
At the meeting, Sadr spoke of Chekhov’s influence over Iranian writers and Mohammadkhani presented a brief report on publications of Chekhov’s works in Iran since 1931. “During the past 85 years, Chekhov’s works have always been translated, published and studied in Iran … So far, 1.8 million volumes of his writings have been published in Iran.”
At the Chekhov Cultural Center, the hosts were y were amazed to hear from Mohammadkhani that Chekhov’s last play ‘The Cherry Orchard’ has had 130 editions in Iran with a circulation of 195,000; or that his other outstanding play ‘Three Sisters’ had 97 editions and a circulation of 98,300. They were also surprised that ‘The Seagull’, generally considered to be the first of Chekhov’s major plays, had 84 editions in Iran with a circulation of 105,800.
Mohammadkhani noted that Chekhov’s plays are frequently staged in Iran. Since August 22, three adaptations of his plays have been performed. “Chekhov’s influence is not limited to Russian literature; he has also inspired many writers and playwrights in Iran.”
At the end of the meeting, it was agreed that all Persian translations of Chekhov’s works be presented at the Chekhov Cultural Center. It was also agreed that from Chekhov’s plays performed in Iran videos be made for the Russian audience.
‘One Week With Chekhov’, a program to review works of the writer, was suggested in the meeting. It is to be held next year in Cultural and International Center of Book City Institute, and will be attended by Russian Chekhov specialists as well as Iranian writers, playwrights and translators.
