Jalal Sattari Information

Jalal Sattari (August 6, 1931 – July 31, 2021) was an Iranian writer, researcher, mythologist, translator, and intellectual. Over the course of more than 60 years, he authored and translated over 100 books on mythology, theater, cultural criticism, and literary studies. Many of his works are considered essential references in their respective fields. He was also a recipient of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Letters) from the French government.

Early Life and Education
Jalal Sattari was born on August 6, 1931, in the Khahar Imam neighborhood of Rasht, Iran. He completed his elementary education at Ansari School and graduated with a literature diploma from Dar ul-Funun in 1950. After passing the national exam for studying abroad, he went to Switzerland for higher education, where he obtained his Ph.D. One of his most notable professors was the Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget. Like Carl Gustav Jung, Sattari studied psychology but extended his interests beyond individual psychology to collective psychology, mythology, and the influence of archetypes and myths on the collective unconscious.

Return to Iran and Career
After completing his studies, Sattari returned to Iran in 1962 and began working at the Plan and Budget Organization in the Department of Culture, Art, and Tourism. In 1971, he transferred to the Ministry of Culture and Arts, where he served as the Director General of Cultural Studies and Planning and later as an advisor to the Minister. Following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, he was dismissed from the ministry under Hassan Habibi’s orders and experienced a downgrade in his professional rank.

Death
Jalal Sattari passed away on July 31, 2021, at the age of 89, at his personal residence.

Publications
Throughout his long career, Sattari authored and translated numerous works on mythology, history, theater, narratology, folklore, and literature, exceeding 100 titles. Some of his notable books include:

Familiar Souls
The Last Interview with Sartre (Translation)
Tragedy and Man
The Reflection of Myth in The Blind Owl
Culture and Theater
Plague (Translation)
Myth in the Modern World
The Mythology of Gilgamesh (Translation)
The Image of Women in Iranian Culture
In the Realm of Culture
The East in French Literature (Translation)
The Enchantment of Scheherazade
Performance in the East
Myth and Symbol in the Thought of Mircea Eliade
The Pain of Zuleikha’s Love
The Statelessness of Culture
Ritual and Myth in Theater
A Study of the Myth of Gilgamesh and the Legend of Alexander
The World of Mythology (Translation)
Honors and Awards
Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (France, 2005)
Jalal Sattari Prize: Established in his honor, this award is given annually to leading researchers in Iranian theater and performance arts. Some of the recipients include:

2011: Roghieh Behzadi
2013: Sodabeh Fazayeli
2015: Alireza Mashayekhi, Georg Nusbaumer, and Hossein Esmaeili
2017: Parviz Mamnoon, Hamidreza Ardalan, and Jacques Trudeau
2019: Bahram Beyzai
2021: Peter Schumann, Nina Malíkova, and Jamshid Malekpour