Payman

The first issue of Payman appeared in December 1933.[1][2] The title of the magazine was a reference to another magazine with the same name in which Ziya Gökalp, an Ottoman nationalist intellectual, published articles at the beginning of the 20th century.[3] Kasravi's close ally Reza Soltanzadeh was the editor of Payman.[4] Nearly all the articles published in the magazine were written by Kasravi.[2] Payman came out biweekly during the first six months.[5] Then it was published on a monthly basis and became the official organ of the political party, Azadegan, in 1941 when Kasravi founded the party.[1][2]

In the first seven years the subtitle of Payman was gozaresh-e sharq va gharb (Persian: Account of East and West).[6] Then it was changed to dar bareh-ye shenakhtan-e jahan (Persian: On Knowing the World) and gozaresh-e jahan (Persian: World Report).[6] Payman folded in 1942 and was succeeded by Parcham.[1][4]

Kasravi's writings in Payman outlined his general ideology.[3] His articles mostly contained a critical approach towards the Europeanization of Iran and the alienation of Iranian people from their own customs and traditions.[7] Kasravi also criticized Iranian poets, Sufis and materialism in his writings.[7] Other topics which he attacked in the magazine included superstitions in Shiism and Islam.[4][7] His lecture delivered at the Literary Society was serialized in Payman in two parts.[8] After the publication of the first part Prime Minister Mohammad Ali Foroughi ordered the next issue of the magazine to be censored which would cover its second part.[8] Although the next issue was published, it did not feature the remaining part of Kasravi's lecture.[8] In addition, Payman contained a column on international politics.[6]

A collection of Kasravi's writings published in Payman was printed as a book in 1965.[9] The Chicago Persian Microfilms Project initiated by the University of Chicago in 1985 archived the issues of Payman.[10]