Ahmad Akbarpour
Ahmad Akbarpour (Persian: احمد اکبرپور) Ahmad Akbarpūr Persian pronunciation: [æhˈmæd(-e) ækbærpuːr], born July 31, 1970, in Chah Varz, Lamerd, Fars Province, is a novelist and author of short stories and children's books.[1]
احمد اکبرپور Ahmad Akbarpour | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 31, 1970 |
| Occupation | Author of short fiction, poetry, children's books |
| Language | Persian |
| Nationality | Iranian |
| Alma mater | Shahid Beheshti University |
| Notable works | The Train of That Night Good Night Commander! |
| Notable awards | Year book of Iranian Minister of Culture IBBY honor list |
| Website | |
| ahmadakbarpoor | |
Biography
Ahmad Akbarpour was born on 31 July 1970 in Chah Varz. He got his BA in psychology from Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran.
Ahmad Akbarpour has started his literary career at the age of 24 by composing poetry. He published his first and only collection of poetry, People of the Thursday Evening, in 1993.
A student of Reza Barahani and Houshang Golshiri, he soon started writing fiction for adolescents, adopting a postmodern style of writing.
Books
That Night’s Train, published in 1999, received the Book of the Year award from Iran's Ministry of Culture. The novel narrates the story of a little girl who recently lost her mother and meets with a teacher during a train trip.[2][3] This short novel was adapted as a TV film by Hamid Reza Hafezi and later as a movie by Hamid Reza Ghotbi.
Published in 2002, Good Night Commander was financially supported jointly by UNICEF and Iran's Children’s Book Council. This children's anti-war book tells the story of a maimed child who meets with an enemy toy soldier in his dreams.[4]
Themes
During his career, Akbarpour discussed such topics as fear, loneliness, and peace. In some of his works as If I Were a Pilot, Good Night Commander, and Emperor of Words he shows his disdain for the destructive impact of war on children.
Translations
Good Night Commander and That Night’s Train (illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault) have been published in English by Groundwood Books in the United States and Canada in 2010 and 2012 respectively.
Bibliography
Poetry
| Year | Original Persian | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Mardoman-e Asr-e Panjshanbeh | People of Thursday's Evening |
Youth books
| Year | Original Persian | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Donyay-ye Goushe-o-Kenar-e Daftaram | The World of My Notebook Margins |
| 1998 | Ghatar-e An Shab | That Night's Train |
| 2001 | Vaghti Narahat Bashim, Jadeha Tamam Nemishavand | The Roads Don't Finish, When We Are Sad |
| 2002 | Emperatur-e Kalamat | Emperor of Words |
| 2003 | Shab Bekheyr Farmandeh! | Good Night Commander! |
| Man Nokar-e Baba Nistam | I'm Not My Dad's Servant | |
| 2006 | Dokhtari Saket ba Parandeha-yi Sholough | A Silenced Girl with Noisy Birds |
| Agar Man Khalaban Boudam | If I Was a Pilot | |
| 2005 | Ro'yahay-e Jonoubi | Southern Dreams |
| 2010 | Ghoul va Docharkheh | Giant and Bicycle |
Short Story
| Year | Original Persian | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Agahiy-e Nashr-e Alef | The Ads of Alef Publisher |
References
- "Arts & Culture: Children's Literature Near Int'l Standards". Iran Daily. 2006-07-23. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2022-09-28.
- "Children's Book Review: That Night's Train by Ahmad Akbarpour, trans. From the Persian by Majid Saghafi, illus. By Isabelle Arsenault. Groundwood (PGW, dist.), $14.95 (96p) ISBN 978-1-55498-169-4".
- Jalali, Maryam (9 August 2012). "Fantasy stories trend in works of Ahmad Akbarpour in Iran". Journal of Human Sciences. 9 (2): 641–650.
- Jalali, Maryam (9 August 2012). "Fantasy stories trend in works of Ahmad Akbarpour in Iran". Journal of Human Sciences. 9 (2): 641–650.
- Honour List 2006