Jalal Al-E Ahmad
Jalal Al-E Ahmad was an influential Iranian writer, translator, and novelist, known for his insightful exploration of Iran's socio-political landscape during a time of significant upheaval. Born into a religious Muslim family in Tehran, he pursued higher education while working various jobs, eventually becoming a schoolteacher. His early affiliation with the Tudeh Communist Party reflected his skepticism towards social conventions, but over time, his views evolved, culminating in a strong advocacy for Iranian nationalism intertwined with Islamic principles. Al-E Ahmad's writing exhibits a nuanced portrayal of rural Iranian life, characterized by evocative descriptions and a succinct, powerful style reminiscent of Ernest Hemingway. Notable works include "Khasi dar miqat" (translated as "Lost in the Crowd"), which reflects on his pilgrimage to Mecca, and "Modire madreseh" (translated as "The School Principal"), a critical examination of the Iranian educational system. His later writings, such as "Nefrin-i Zamin," address themes of agricultural and economic reform through the lens of Iranian folklore. Despite his relatively short life, Al-E Ahmad's contributions continue to resonate in discussions of Iranian culture and identity.
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Subject Terms
Jalal Al-E Ahmad
Writer
- Born: December 2, 1923
- Birthplace: Tehran, Iran
- Died: 1969
- Place of death: Asalem, Iran
Biography
Although he died in his forty-sixth year, Jalal Al-E Ahmad left behind a considerable body of work, much of which reveals how he dealt with the political upheavals in his native Iran. His writing also describes the transformation of his religious views, which moved from a full acceptance of Islamic doctrine to a questioning of the faith and, before his death, to a conviction that only an acceptance of Islamic principles could save Iran.
Before he died, Al-E Ahmad made a pilgrimage—in Islamic parlance, a hajj—to the holy city of Mecca. In 1964, he recounted this religious journey and its implications for his views in Khasi dar miqat, which was translated into English under the title Lost in the Crowd. Born in Tehran into a religious Muslim family, Al-E Ahmad attended the University of Tehran. In 1946 he graduated from Tehran Teachers College, which he attended at night while working at jobs ranging from electrician to watch maker to salesperson. A thoughtful student, his skepticism about many of the social and cultural conventions that Islam imposed upon Iranian society gradually increased. He joined Iran’s Tudeh Communist party during his student days.
With his degree in hand, Al-E Ahmad spent many years as a schoolteacher in Tehran, and he continued this pursuit even after he began to publish extensively. In 1950, he married Simim Daneshvar, herself an accomplished writer and a professor of art history. Over time, Al-E Ahmad rethought many of his social and political positions, and significant changes in his thinking were reflected in his writing, which became markedly anti-Western and at times quite harsh and strident in its criticism of European and American values. He withdrew from the Communist Party and lent his support to the cause of Iranian nationalism. Toward the end of his life, as he realized how inextricably Iranian nationalism was intertwined with Islam, he reached the inevitable conclusion that his nation’s culture could survive only through an acceptance of Islamic principles.
Al-E Ahmad’s stories depict rural Iranian life with considerable accuracy, warmth, and feeling. His descriptions are well-focused, evocative, and engage most of the senses. He used his words sparingly and chose them carefully, writing with a muscularity that might be compared with the style of Ernest Hemingway. He produced penetrating anthropological studies that focused on isolated precincts of Iran. In 1958, he drew on his considerable experience as a teacher to produce an educational novel, Modire madreseh, published in English as The School Principal, that focuses on the life of an elementary school principal in Tehran and presents a scathing critique of the Iranian educational system. His novel Nefrin-i Zamin (the curse of land), published ten years later, is a fictional but historically based folktale that deals with agricultural and economic reform.