By Syma Sayyah, Tehran
The 5th
Golshiri[1] Award-giving ceremony took place recently at
Niavaran
Cultural Center. Opening the ceremony, Mrs.
Farzaneh Taheri-Golshiri, the president and founder of Houshang Golshiri
Cultural Foundation[2] gave a short report of the foundation ‘s
activities during the year, after remembering the loss of some Iranian literary
figures, Mr Karim Emami, Mr Manuchere Atashie, Mohammad Mokhtari and
Mohammd Jafar Pooyandeh. She also thanked the award trophy designer, the
renowned artist, Ms Farideh Lashayi who due to illness could not attend and
on everyone’s behalf Ms Taheri wished her a quick recovery.
She went on to
explain that due to many hurdles foundation’s activities have been limited yet
the foundation’s website has been running smoothly and the feedback it has
received has been most encouraging. Of these, she mentioned the
contribution of a Palestinian lady poet currently working as a TV producer in
UAE; she has translated “My China Doll”, one of Hooshang Golshiri’s short
stories, from the English version published on the foundation’s website into
Arabic and sent it to be published there. Taheri also announced the publication
of his short novel, Prince Ehtejab, in English by Sackvill/ Random House in the
UK.
Next, Mr Abdol-ali Azimi, the well- known poet
and member of the board[3] who was the Awarding Committee Chair, made a
speech about the selecting process this year which has been done in two phases.
A list of some 320 novels and 160 collections of short stories were sent to over
sixty people chosen for their expertise on fiction. They were asked to rate the
works they had read on the list, and add any which they had read and was
missing. All these forms were collected in October 2005 and those who
reached a certain level were sent to the final phase. The short lists were
published on the foundation’s website as well as main national
newspapers.
The books were divided as always into 4
categories[4]. The winners would receive a trophy and a
cheque each for:
The Best
Novel
The Best Collection
of Short Stories
The Best First
Novel
The Best First
Collection of Short Stories
To announce
the winner for each category, after a short film showing the short listed
writers reading from their nominated work, a member of the jury came on the
podium and read the verdict enumerating the merits of the selected work. The
winners received their awards from some of Iran’s prominent
art and literary figures. This year the winners received their awards from the
renowned director and playwright, Mr. Bahram Bayzaie, the literary translator,
Ms. Goli Emami, the novelist, Ms. Mahnaz Karimi, the thinker and critic, Babak
Ahmadi.
In addition to the winners in four categories,
the selected short stories were also announced in the ceremony. These stories
have been selected from all the collections evaluated in this year in two phases
for their special merits and will be published, as four past rounds, under the
title “Naqsh 83” [Imprint of 2004] after getting the permission from the writers
and publishers.
A short but
beautiful and impressive film was also shown consisting of Golshiri’s photos and
clippings of his readings etc. This film, together with a short film made of the
films of the four past ceremonies shown in the beginning, and the recorded
readings of the nominated writers were produced by a team of young film-makers
as a gift to the foundation. The team consisted of Haadi Kalhor, Pooya
Paarssaa-maghaam, and Khashaayaar Taheri.
The Winners of the
Year 1383 (2004)
The joint winners in
the category of The Best Novel:
Mr. Mohmmad Hosseini
for Abbitar az Gonah (Bluer than Sin) & Mr.Yaghoub Yad-ali
for Aadaab-e Bi-Ghararie (The Ritual of Restlessness
).
The winner in the
category of The Best First Collection of Short Stories:
Mr. Mohammad Hussein
Mohammadie for Anjirhaaye Sorkhe Mazar (Mazar’s Red
Figs)
(The author is an
afghan immigrant writer currently living in Iran)
The joint winners in
the category of The Best First Novel:
Ms. Soudabeh
Ashrafie for Maahihaa dar Shab Mi-khaaband (The fish Sleep at Night) and
Farhad Boardbaar for Rang-e Kalagh (the Color of the
Crow)
(Ms. Ashrafi is an
immigrant Iranian writer living in Los
Angeles)
The winner in the
category of The Best Collection of Short Stories
:
Ms. Mahssaa
Moheb-ali for Aasheghiyyat dar Pa-Varaghie (In-Love-ness in
Footnotes)
Afterwards the
guests went outside to the open yard of the Niavaran Center for refreshments and to have a look
at the books exhibited there for the occasion. Jaye shoma
khali.
Foundation
Board takes this opportunity to express its sincere and deep thanks to all the
judges for their great work and enthusiasm, care and concern for our
contemporary fiction. It is only through the hard work and trustworthy
judgment of the judges that the Hooshang Golshiri Award has gained such high
respect and credit among writers and scholars alike. Our sincere thanks go
to:
Judges of the
novels
Mahanz Karimi
(novelist), Nasim Khaakssaar (Iranian novelist in exile in the
Netherlands), Abdoullah Kowssari
(literary translator), Abbass Pezhmaan (literary translator), Mohammad Hassan
Shahsavarie (novelist and literary critic)
Judges of the short
story collections
Kamran Bozorgnia
(Iranian poet in exile in Hannover), Mitra
Elyatie (writer), Lili Golestan (literary translator and art expert), Naghmeh
Ssaminie (teacher of dramatic arts), Ssamad Taheri
(writer)
You my read a full
text of the 5th award in Persian at:
http://www.golshirifoundation.org/award2.htm
The foundation also
wishes to thank Mr Farhad Firouzi, the administrator of the foundation’s
website, Ms Fariba Deylami who runs our PR, Mr Sanaapour who as a literary
consultant has helped us throughout, Mr. Paul Sanford who helped setting up the
domain for the foundation, Mr Salimie who from Ms Lashahi’s design made the
trophies, Mr Saed Meshki who designed our Logo.
You may contact them
via:
info@golshirifoundation.org
Address;
P.O.BOX 15875-1773,
Tehran, Iran,
Fax only: 0098
21-44658015
Followings are news links related to the
5th Golshiri Award in Persian :http://www.isna.ir/Main/NewsView.aspx?ID=News-628375
http://www.isna.ir/Main/PicView.aspx?Pic=Pic-628499-1
http://www.chn.ir/news/?section=4&id=2982
http://khabgard.com/?id=1134167145
Audio – RFE
http://www.radiofarda.com/author/362.html
http://www.sharghnewspaper.com/840919/html/end.htm#s342939
http://www2.dw-world.de/persian/kultur/1.164392.1.html
http://pendar.net/main1.asp?a_id=2941
http://www2.dw-world.de/persian/kultur/1.164418.1.html
http://www.hanouz.com/archives/002801.html
____________________________________________________________________
1 http://www.golshirifoundation.org/english/golshiri.asp About
Houshang Golshiri
http://www.golshirifoundation.org/english/golshiri/works.asp &
http://www.golshirifoundation.org/english/golshiri/works2.asp list
of some of his works
2 Houshang Golshiri Cultural Foundation was
established in 2000 as a non-governmental organization. It was the first
NGO in Iran which was focusing on promotion
of contemporary fiction, named after the prominent Iranian modern writer,
critic, scholar and teacher. The HGF aspires to resume Golshiri’s lifelong
effort to provide young fiction writers with knowledge and encouragement to
reach new possibilities.
3 List of
Founders and Board members of the Foundation http://www.golshirifoundation.org/english/About/aboutus.asp
4 Books published in
Persian and in Iran
