Literature of the Early Twentieth Century: From the Constitutional Period to Reza Shah : A History of Persian Literature

When the Bolshevik Revolution broke out in October 1917, much of Central Asia was still ruled by autonomous rulers such as the Emir of Bukhara and the Khan of Khiva. By 1920 the khanates had been transformed into People's Republics. In 1924, Stalin re-drew the frontiers of the region on ethno-linguistic lines creating, amongst other statelets, the Soviet Socialist Republic of Uzbekistan - the land of the Uzbeks. But the Turkic Uzbeks were not the only significant ethnic group within the new Uzbekistan's frontiers. The Persian-speaking Tajiks formed a considerable part of the population. This book describes how, often in the teeth of Uzbek opposition, the Tajiks gained, first an autonomous oblast (administrative region) within Uzbekistan, then an autonomous republic, and finally, in 1929, the status of a full Soviet Union Republic. Once the Tajiks had been granted a territory of their own, they began to strive for a national identity and to create national pride. Their new government had not only to survive the civil war that followed the revolution but then to build an entirely new country in an immensely inhospitable terrain. New frontiers had to be wrested from neighbours, and a new cultural identity, 'national in form but socialist in content', had to be created, which was to be an example to other Persian speakers in the region. Paul Bergne has produced the first documentation of how the idea of a Tajik state came into being and offers a vivid history of the birth of a nation. "Since 2003, over 4 million Iraqis have been forced to flee their homes, in what amounts to one of the largest people movements in modern times, far exceeding the Palestinian outflow after 1948. Despite media reports of an improved security situation in Iraq, the majority of refugees are still afraid to return. The social, economic, political and security consequences of such an event are huge. In this rigorous and timely book, Joseph Sassoon explores the underlying trends of Iraq's refugee flow: which class, ethnic and sectarian groups are going where and how. Based on extensive original research, he examines the economic impact of this exodus on Iraq itself, and on the host countries of the region: Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. He analyzes international policy on the refugee issue, and assesses the options for return and resettlement. "Exodus Iraq" is both the first and the definitive guide to what will come to be seen as one of the most significant issues affecting the Middle East."--Bloomsbury publishing. The eleventh volume in this ground-breaking series pays special attention to politically engaged poetry, written during a turbulent period which saw the Constitutional Revolution in Iran as well as the rise to power of Reza Shah and his attempts to implement reform. Throughout this time, poets began to turn their attention towards the country's ordinary people, rather than concentrate on its elites. This volume also examines the prose fiction of the period, which saw the rise of the novel and short story. Additionally, Persian satire began to grow in importance, especially with the increased popularity of poets and novelists such as Iraj Mirza and Sadeq Hedayat. This wide-ranging volume is an invaluable companion for anyone who wants to understand how the Persian literary scene changed at the beginning of the twentieth century, reflecting the social and political contexts in which this literature was created Foreword -- Chapter 1: The Political and Social Background of the Literature of the Period (1900-1940). Ali-Asghar Seyed-Gohrab -- Chapter 2: Poetry As Awakening: Singing Modernity. Ali-Asghar Seyed-Gohrab -- Chapter 3: Modern Persian Prose Fiction between 1900 and -- 1940. Ali-Asghar Seyed-Gohrab -- Chapter 4: Satire in Persian Literature, 1900-1940. Homa Katouzian -- Chapter 5: Women Poets. Dominic Parviz Brookshaw -- Chapter 6: Translations of European Poetry and their Reception. Parvin Loloi -- Chapter 7: A History of Iranian Drama (1850-1941). Saeed Talajooy -- Chapter 8: Early Twentieth Century Journals in Iran: Response to Modernity in Literary Reviews. Kamran Talattof -- Chapter 9: The History of Children's Literature (1900-1940). Zohreh Ghaeni