Sa‘id Nafisi

Nafisi, Sa’id (1896-1966), son of ‘Ali Akbar Nazim al-Attiba’. A writer, translator, historian, editor, lexicographer, university professor, journalist, and poet. He was born in Tehran to a father whose ancestors had been physicians for eleven generations. Sa’id was the great grandson of Hakim Burhan al-Din Nafisi, son of ‘Iwaz ibn Hakim Kirmani, who had written a commentary on Najib al-Din Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn ‘Umar Samarqandi’s al-Asbab wa ‘l-‘Alamat and many other medical textbooks. Sa’id’s father, Nazim al-Attiba’ was a scholar from Kerman. Sa’id completed his primary and secondary education at the Sharaf and ‘Ilmiyya schools and furthered his studies in Switzerland and Paris. Having returned to Iran in 1918, he taught French at Aqdasiyya and Saint Louis high schools and later taught at the School of Political Science, Dar al-Funun, Higher School of Commerce, the state-run Madrasa-yi San’ati (Polytechnic), Higher Teachers’ Training College, Faculty of Letters, and Faculty of Law, University of Tehran. It was in January 1915 that Muhammad Taqi Bahar (Malik al-Shu’ara’), established the Danishkada Society in Tehran wherein he gathered young writers and poets and then founded the Danishkada journal that served as the organ of the society. Nafisi joined the society in the same year during the year in which the journal appeared, he had the opportunity to collaborate with Bahar, ‘Abbas Iqbal Ashtiyani, and Gulam Riza Rashid Yasami. The October Revolution of Russia occurred in his youth. Having been recognized by Iran, the Soviet government sent Rothstein the first Soviet ambassador to Tehran. After a while, Nafisi was acquainted with Chaikin, the translator of the Soviet Embassy who had a very good knowledge of Persian who introduced to him all the distinguished literary figures of the time. Nafisi also worked for the Public Utilities Ministry and was appointed for a while to director of the Agriculture Administration and director of the School of Commerce. He was one of the first members of the Persian Academy. He also served as the director of the Agriculture and Commerce journal during his office at the Ministry of Agriculture, Commerce, and Public Utilities. He also served as the editor-in-chief of the literary journal, Partaw, in 1922, which was directed by Mirza Muhammad ‘Ali Khan Wala Isfahani. He also contributed to and was the director of the Sharq journal for one year. The first journal which was directed by him was the Falahat wa Tijarat (Agriculture and Commerce) journal which appeared on a monthly basis from 1919 to 1920. He was the director of the seven issues of the Umid newspaper. He assumed the directorate of the Payam-i Naw journal from 1944 which was the organ of the Iran-USSR Cultural Relations Society. He was also on the editorial board of the Rahnama-yi Kitab journal. He performed on the radio program, the Yaddasht-ha-yi Yik Ustad (A Professor’s Notes), devoted to the biographical accounts of scholars and belletrists from 1961 to 1963. He taught literary history, history of Sufism, and religious sects at many cultural institutes and universities in Europe and Asia. Having studied in France and Switzerland, he returned to Iran and served as the deans of the Faculties of Law and Letters. He also taught at the University of Kabul, University of Cairo, and University of Saint Joseph (Lebanon). Nazim al-Attiba’ died of asthma and colic at the Soviet Hospital (present day Mirza Kuchak Khan Jangali), in Tehran. He was one of the few personalities in modern Persian literature in Iran whose vast knowledge, great intelligence, retentive memory, and fluent prose style enabled him to make successful contributions all literary fields. His activities are marked by diversity ranging from literary and historical studies, edition of classical works of prose and poetry to lexicography, translations from European languages, bibliography, literary history, and fiction. His prose style is simple, fluent, unaffected, and delicate. His literary works are also marked by his keen interest in conducting research leading him to attend any academic conference and assembly to keep himself abreast of Iranian studies. Consequently, he traveled to many universities and centers of scholarship in the world. He taught and lectured for more than forty years and wrote books and articles for fifty years many of which are first hand and reliable sources in Iranian studies. His works include: Ahwal wa Ash’ar-i Rudaki; Akharin Yadigar-i Nadir Shah; Iran dar Sad u Haftad Sal-i Akhir; Babak-i Kurramdin; Dilawar-i Azarbayjan; Bahrayn wa Huquq-i Hazar u Haftsad Sala-yi Iran; Pur Sina wa Zindagi wa Kar wa Andisha wa Ruzigar-i U; Tarikh-i Ijtima’i wa Siyasi-yi Iran dar Dawra-yi Mu’asir; Tarikh-i Adabiyyat-i Rusi; Tarikh-i Tamaddun-i Iran-i Sasani; Tarikhcha-yi Adabiyyat-i Iran; Sitaragan-i Siyah; Tarikh-i Nazm wa Nathr dar Iran wa dar Zaban-i Farsi; Farhangnama-yi Parsi; Farangis; Mah-i Nakhshab; Atash-ha-yi Nahufta; Nima Rah-i Bihisht; Tarikh-i Ijtima’i-yi Iran (2 vols); Farhang-i Faransa bih Farsi (2 vols.); Tarikh-i Adabiyyat-i Rus; Sarchashma-yi Tasawwuf dar Iran; Majd al-din Hamgar Shirazi; Yazdigird-i Siwwum; Madrasa-yi Nizamiyya-yi Baghdad; Athar-i Gumshuda-yi Abu al-Fazl Bayhaqi; Khandan-i Tahiryan; Shaykh Zahid Gilani; Khandan-i Sa’d al-Din Hamuya; Nathr-i Farsi-yi Mu’asir; Pishraft-ha-yi Iran dar Dawra-yi Safawi; Tagur wa Maqam-i Sha’iri-yi U; Darafsh-i Iran wa Shir u Khurshid; Afghanistan dar ‘Asr-i Hazir; Haftad Sal Zindagi, Panjah Sal Khidmat bih Danish; Pandnama-yi Anushirawan; San’at-i Tukhm-i Nawghan-i Iran; Sukhanan-i Sa’di dar Bara-yi Khud-i U; Yadbud-i Garilov; Diwan-i Shi’r. His editions include Diwan-i Khwaju-yi Kirmani; Diwan-i Anwari; Ruba’iyyat-i Baba Afzal Kashani; Ahwal wa Ash’ar-i Shaykh Baha’i; Diwan-i Qasa’id wa Ghazaliyyat-i ‘Attar; Tarikh-i Gitigushay; Muntakhab-i Qabusnama; Qabusnama; Dastur al-Wuzara’; Zayn al-Akhbar; Risala-yi Majdiyya; Farhang-i Nazim al-Attiba’; Samnama-yi Khwaju; Shahanshahnama (vols 7-9); Tarikh-i Bayhaqi (2 vols); Sayr al-‘Ibad ila ‘l-Ma’ad; Risala-yi Firiydun ibn Ahmad Sipahsalar; Muqatta’at-i Ibn Yamin; Diwan-i Shah Qasim Anwar; Diwan-i Junayd-i Shirazi; Piramun-i Ahwal wa Ash’ar-i Hafiz; Mawahib-i Ilahi; Ruba’iyyat-i ‘Umar-i Khayyam; Shahnama (vol. 1); Diwan-i Lami’i-yi Gurgani. His translations include: Tarikh-i ‘Umumi-yi Qurun-i Hazir; Nimuna’i az Athar-i Pushkin; Iliyad (Iliad); Udisih (Odyssey); Afsana-yi Garilov; Na’ib-i Chapar-khana.

Asar-afarinan (6/ 60-61); Az Nima ta Ruzigar-i Ma (258-271); Sukhanwaran-i Nami-yi Mu’asir (6/ 3667-3672).