Reza Amirkhani [b. 1973]

BIO BRIEF

Born in Tehran a few years before the Islamic Revolution, Reza Amirkhani is a true representative of the Revolution Generation, or as they sometimes call themselves, the Mosque Children. Amirkhani is a prodigy of the Mosque Generation: he started writing at high school with novel ERMIA. He has studied mechanichal engineering at renowned Sharif University of Technology and is a graduate of National Organization for Development of Exceptional Talents.

In a period when most leftist intellectuals struggled for their rights and share of the emerging new social context, the young Revolution Generation were peacefully developing their worldviews and expanding Islamic ideology in the so-called genre of Committed Literature (although there was war and the problems of post-war life).

Amirkhani’s novels and essays had a wide readership in the past decade and been granted a number of state awards. According to his official website, the circulation number of his publications has superseded 583.000.

AUTOBIO

Born on April 29, 1973; Coming of age in the tumults of the Islamic Revolution; Sometimes glossing over his father’s deeds with his schoolbag full of political leaflets And sometimes a playmate for Edmund, Arbey and Arash in 25 Shahrivar district of Tehran.
Coming-first-crisis and struggling to get an A+ in almost everything in elementary school. Later, in 1983, going to Allameh Helli Organization for Development of Exceptional Talents, that prior to 1987, functioned under the supervision of the Educational
 Organization for the Exceptional Children, the Retarded! Growing up in the diversity and multiplicity of Allameh Helli of Tehran’s atmosphere, and making friends…making friends with as many friends none of whom I will exchange for the whole world…
 Getting admitted in mechanical engineering at Sharif University of Technology Working on Ghadir-27 two-person airplane project, and in the meantime, receiving a Private Pilot License (PPL) as the youngest private pilot of the time, in 1992, and then allowed to pilot our Ghadir-27.
 Travelling to the U.S. Later on in 2000; Launching a private business in 2002 to 2004, to date perhaps; Coordinating the ‘Greetings Nasrollah Festival’ during the 33-day Lebanon War, dispatching the largest convoy of Iranian literati to Lebanon in 2007.
 And many other triple-dots – their least achievements being a better knowledge of people to the cost of two years of my life.
 And most pleasing of my life: travelling to all provinces of the country and to twenty-four countries of the world.

 

BIBLIO BRIEF

  • Ermia (1995), debut novel, winner of ‘Twenty Years of Iranian Fiction Prize’
  • Armenian Nasser: 11 stories (1999)
  • His Ego (1999), novel
  • from to (2001), novel
  • The Sistan Story (2003), travelogue
  • Nasht-e-Nesha (2005), treatise on Iranian brain drain
  • Homelandless (2008), novel
  • The Aromas of Oil (2010) an essey about oil management
  • Jaanestaan-e-Kaabulistan (2010) travelogue: Afghanistan Itinerary after 2009 election in Iran
  • Gheydar (2012) novel

 

BOOK BROWSE

His Ego (Persian: Man-e-oo; 1999)

Set in Iran of 1933, His Ego chronicles the life of the protagonist Ali Fattah, a well-off businessman who has lost his father in early childhood and was raised by his grandfather. Ali falls in love with his childhood playmate, Mahtab, but they cannot get married. A few years later, Mahtab moves to France together with Ali Fattah’s sister. His sister marries an Algerian partisan who is assassinated a while later. Mahtab and Ali’s sister have to return to Iran but are martyred both during the bombardment of Tehran. After all ups and downs, Ali Fattah endows all of his father’s estates, feels that his time is over, and dies.

 from to (2001)

from to is an epistolary novel written between war pilots and their friends, children and family members during the Imposed War on Iran. The story begins with exchange of letters between the main characters as they reveal some aspects of the private and professional life of Morteza Meshkat to the readers. ‘Morteza Meshkat’ is a dexterous pilot whose plane gets damaged and accordingly he loses both legs during an invasion to the chemical weapons factory in Kerkuk. The myrmidon pilot desperately yearns for another flight as he is dismissed from combat flight teams in spite of his capabilities – and because of his defect as well as the oppositions of some colleagues and friends. Nevertheless, he finally comes up with a solution aided by his confidential friend, Mirian, and flies once again.

Homelandless (2008)

Ermia and Armita get to know each other in the U.S. and marry soon after. Ermia is arrested by the CIA for having held a religious ceremony in there and also as the main suspect in the case of a friend’s suicide. One day during the court sessions he meets an old comrade, Haj Mahdi, who had been his fellow combatant once on the same front. They visit the grave of Sohrab – who has been martyred on the fronts – together and this is an opportunity to revive old war memories…

Read more about this book…

PRESS KIT

 Reza Amirkhani’s Personal Website

Russian translation of “His Ego” to be unveiled in Moscow

 

 

 --|updated February 01, 2014|--
About Farzaneh Doosti 34 Articles
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