Literary Modernity in the Persophone Realm: A Reader

Abstract

This Reader is the first of its kind. Tracing the evolution of literary modernity across national borders, it brings together texts from three different spheres of Persian Studies. “Literary Modernity in the Persophone Realm” explores theoretical literary discussions as they unfolded in Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asia from the early 20th century to the Second World War. The compilation presents contextualized primary sources by writers, poets and critics of the time, including both famous figures and lesser-known authors. It captures the spirit of the debate and contours the fluid interrelations within the literary field across time and space. In combination, the texts elucidate the different paths the three Persophone regions took into literary modernity, and the ways in which their projects either converged or diverged. The collection anthologizes these writings in English translation, adding historical context, biographical notes, scholarly commentary and bibliographical lists of primary and secondary sources. The Reader offers detailed insights into the modern literary setting in Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asia in the first half of the 20th century and presents primary sources from all three settings, including hitherto unpublished material. It serves as a useful reference for specialists in the field of literary modernity but also enables interested readers, including those without Persian language skills, to engage with programmatic texts on Persophone literature and literary history.