Azar Yazdi commemoration ceremony faces empty seats

The ceremony was held with about ten attendees present. Officials and literati were not enthusiastic about Azar Yazdi’s commemoration ceremony.

The head of the permanent secretariat of Mehdi Azar Yazdi Reza Bardestani lamented the absence of officials at the event saying, “Last year, many literati reproached us for holding the ceremony in Yazd. We decided to hold the ceremony in Tehran this year, but few people attended the event.”

He said that the foundation invited several authors and all the media, however they did not attend the event.

After that, he made a short speech about Azar Yazdi and his renowned book “Good Stories for Good Children” saying that his simple writing conveys deep concepts to children.

Then he read the message of Yazd Governor Mohammadreza Fallahzadeh about Azar Yazdi and his impact on children’s literature.

Next, children’s author Mohammad Mirkiani spoke about Azar Yazdi calling him a “cultural orphan”, and saying, “Azar Yazdi lives and writes on his own but it seems that nobody takes a step for him even after his death.”

He said that Azar Yazdi wrote for children when there was nothing in this field, so he transformed Persian culture and literature into simple words for children.

Afterwards, the director of Iran’s Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (IIDCYA) Mohsen Chiniforushan lamented the emptiness of the hall.

“One should not be offended by such unkindness. Usually the cultural activities are not welcomed by people,” he said.

He also spoke briefly about Azar Yazdi’s techniques in writing and proposed turning Azar Yazdi’s house into museum as a tourist attraction in Yazd. He also proposed establishing an Azar Yazdi Book of the Year Award.

Azar Yazdi passed away on July 9, 2009. His “Good Stories for Good Children”, which won a UNESCO prize in 1966 and was selected as Iran’s best book of the year in 1967, remains a hot pick among children’s books in Iran.

Born in 1921, Azar Yazdi began writing for children in 1956. He wrote seven books, each of which is adapted from a classic of Persian literature and rewritten for children in an easy-to-understand style.

He was also author of “The Naughty Cat,” “The Playful Cat,” “Simple Stories,” “Poetry of Sugar and Honey” and “Masnavi of Good Children.” His “Adam” was chosen as Iran’s book of the year in 1968.

SB/YAW
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MNA