THREE DROPS OF BLOOD (Oldies worth re-reading 1)
About Sadeq Hedayat (1903-1951)
The yearly dusting of my library shelves usually brings back memories. As I was performing this unpleasant task I happened to meet an old
Persian friend: Sadeq Hedayat. The book is a collection of about ten
short stories, each around a central theme, originally written in iranian in 1932 and translated into French in 1974. (see the French abstract: Trois gouttes de sang ).
Sadeq Hedayat’s world is more than gloomy. One would describe it as pessimistic. It’s even worse than that. No happy endings whatsoever. In these ten or so short stories he describes simple
life, simple people of Teheran and Shiraz. His obvious interest for social and ethical concerns attracts our sympathy. It seems that not much has changed on the world scene. Read “ The Tchador”. And you’ll see what I mean. One of the themes which attracted Sadeq Hedayat is the status of women in a male-dominated society. Now it rings a bell!
Interesting as well, is the fact that at the
time, persian litterature was mainly poetry. Although a scholar (he studied and translated pehlevi – ancient persian-) Sadeq Hedayat was the first author to use it for novels or short stories.
Born in Teheran in 1903 in an aristocratic family, he was sent to France to finish his education. Obsessed by the problem of life and
death he tried to commit suicide by drowning himself, but was rescued. Back in
iran, he devotes his life to writing, and publishes his first novella, “ The Blind Owl “in 1936, which is considered as being his masterpiece. Increasingly frustrated in his own country he decides to leave for France again. On April the 9th 1951, after burning most of his manuscripts, he takes his own life.
At the time of his death he was already recognized as the foremost modern prose author of Iran.
And in my opinion, still is.
His books might not be easy to find, but it’s worth trying.
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