Karim Keshavarz

Biography

Karim Kashavarz (born 1900 in Rasht – died 8 November 1986 in Tehran) was an Iranian translator and storyteller. He was also a key member of the Central Committee of the Tudeh Party.

Life:
Karim Kashavarz was from Gilan and was a member of the Communist Party of Iran (1920s) and later the Tudeh Party of Iran. He was the son of Mohammad Vakil al-Tajara Yazdi (a silk merchant and representative of Rasht in the first term of the National Consultative Assembly) and the older brother of Faridoun Kashavarz (a pediatrician and one of the leaders of the Tudeh Party of Iran and the representative of Bandar Anzali in the 14th term of the National Consultative Assembly) and also Jamshid Kashavarz (a musician and composer). In 1332, he was exiled to the island of Kharg, during which time he managed to write his daily memoirs in a valuable book called “Fourteen Months in Kharg.”

After the end of his exile, Kashavarz no longer had the right to work for the government, so alongside various other occupations, he continued his work in translation and book writing. In 1345, he won the prize for the best translation of the year. It is worth mentioning that in most of his translations, he did not use excessive Arabic words or outdated terminologies. He himself considered this issue in his works and stated in a parliamentary session that “if there is still time left and he resumes translating, he will try to use Persian equivalents for Arabic words”; although as he grew older, he engaged less in translation.

He is the father of Bahman Kashavarz, Esfandiar Kashavarz, and Mehrbanu Kashavarz.

Historical Translations:
– The Uprising of Sarbedaran in Khorasan
– Agriculture and Land Relations in the Mongol Period in Iran
– The Medes: Igor Mikhailovich Diakonov
– History of Iran
– Irrigation in Turkestan
– Islam in Iran
– Turkmenistan Name
– Introduction to the Persian Language Jurisprudence
– Selected Research Articles
– Kurdish Myths
– The Journals of World War II by Charles De Gaulle
– The Achaemenids
– Gilan
– Hasan Sabbah
– Sultan Ali Mashhadi’s Treatise on Calligraphy
– Hassanak Yazdi’s Notes on a Journey to Gilan
– The Russian Theme
– Fourteen Months in Kharg
– Lenin

Literary Translations:
– The Hero of the Era
– Childhood
– Enemies
– Dovbroski
– The Enlightened Villagers: The Story of an Unknown Man
– Love Without Limits
– Zahraei of Chicago
– The Smile of Fortune
– Shahriar Koohsar
– A Night at the Crossroads
– Your Smile
– Waste Collection
– Lost Conscience
– Qurbanali Bek and Nine Other Stories
– Sword and Rope
– The Mysterious Signature
– The Dark Gertrude
– Black Rain
– Fi Madhe Al-Ma’loum
– Farmers
– Several Stories from Malansar al-Din
– The Light-Hearted Daughter
– Afou and His Wife
– Childhood, Nobility, Youth
– Lermontov
– Mosaic
– Thousand Years of Persian Prose (Author)

  • Birthday: 1900
  • Death: 8 November 1986
  • Birthplace: Rasht, Gilan, Iran

Writer and Translator

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