The Blind Owl
By
Sadegh Hedayat
Translated By Naveed Noori
Cover art by Lynn Hatzius
The Blind Owl
By Sadegh Hedayat
Translated by Naveed Noori
ISBN 978-91-86131-48-7
Under the auspices of the
Sadegh Hedayat Foundation
1st Edition ebook
October 2011
Editorial l’Aleph
Iran Open Publishing Group
© 2011 All Rights reserved by Iran Open Publishing Group
Introduction
In your hands is the first translation into English of Sadegh Hedayat’s The Blind Owl based on the Bombay edition. The first question that should come to mind is why a new translation is necessary when two others are available, namely D. P. Costello’s 1957 and Iraj Bashiri’s 1984 translations. I chose to undertake this translation for three important reasons. First, as I will discuss in the textual analysis section below, I believe that all typed Persian language editions and English translations of Hedayat’s The Blind Owl suffer from a multitude of inaccuracies stemming from the corruption of an early typed Persian edition. Second, Costello’s decision to translate the work with a strong emphasis on fluency has led to a work that flows very well but which fails to convey the nuances of Hedayat’s pen. Lastly, I have undertaken this project because of the high regard I have for Hedayat, and hope that this will help renew interest in his works.
Textual Analysis
Dates of Publication and Available Texts
The first edition of The Blind Owl was published in 1936 (1315)1 in Bombay, India.2 Hedayat completed this work while studying the Pahlavi language in Bombay. On the first page of the book Hedayat wrote, “The printing and sale [of this work] in Iran is forbidden.” Knowing that publication of this book would never be allowed in Iran during the reign of Reza Shah, prior to his return to Iran Hedayat mimeographed 50 copies of the handwritten manuscript and sent them to friends and associates around the world. There is debate about when he actually wrote this book. As noted above, 1936 is the official date of publication. Some have argued that Hedayat wrote this before he left Paris in 1930; however, Katouzian and others have stated that based on the analysis of his work at the time, he could not have written this prior to 1934.1,2 M. F. Farzaneh argues that the second part of the work was influenced by his return to Iran, while Hedayat himself states that parts of it were changed when he was in India in 1936.3 Importantly, Hedayat does not appear to have revised this manuscript after the Bombay edition.4
Five years later, in 1941 (1320), with Reza Shah’s exile and the subsequent change in the political and social climate, part of The Blind Owl (in censored form) was published as a serial in Rooznameh-ye Iran.5 Apparently during the same year, the first typed version of The Blind Owl also appeared. I have been unable to locate any copies of either the serial or the first typed edition in any major library catalogs around the world. The first typed edition of 1941 may in fact have been considered the second edition as in the Amir Kabir and Javidan editions the first edition is always referred to as the Bombay edition. This second edition (or the first typed edition) is the edition published by Nashr-e Mazaheri. The autographed title page of M. F. Farzaneh’s copy can be seen in Ashnai ba Sadegh Hedayat.6 The Nashr-e Mazaheri edition was based on the censored Rooznameh-ye Iran version, but apparently with some changes.7 There is one unsubstantiated account of this being the definitive edition, claiming Hedayat personally worked with the staff of Rooznameh-ye Iran on this edition; however, this comes from a brief article based on a phone conversation with a “friend” of Hedayat.1 This friend has never been identified, and this claim has been rejected by scholars such as Baharloo, as well as Hassan Qaemian, who worked at Rooznameh-ye Iran at the time.2 As mentioned before, Hedayat does not appear to have revised this manuscript after 1936. Both the Hedayat Foundation and M. F. Farzaneh (who owns both the first and second editions) consider the Bombay edition to be the definitive edition, and both have published this edition.3,4
After the Nashr-e Mazaheri edition, The Blind Owl was not reprinted for about 10 years. In Hedayat’s letters to Shahid-Noorai prior to Hedayat’s final trip to France, there is no mention of a reprint of The Blind Owl, whereas the two do discuss new editions and reprints of other works, as well as a failed effort on the part of a publisher to publish his entire catalogue.5 M. F. Farzaneh’s account of this time and a publisher’s failed bid to acquire the rights to all of Hedayat’s works also matches this.6 However, in a letter to Shahid-Noorai, Hedayat mentions the translation of The Blind Owl into French by Orientalist and diplomat Roger Lescot whom Hedayat had met in Tehran. The translation appears to have been completed by 1948 but its publication was delayed when the intended publisher (Grasset) ran into difficulties.7 Upon Hedayat’s departure for France, he had put Manoochehr Kolbadi in charge of publishing his works.1 It is likely that he reached an agreement with Entesharat-e Amir Kabir once Hedayat was in France, or after his death. One source states that the first Amir Kabir edition was published in 1950.2 It is possible that this was published when Hedayat was in France. However, it is more likely that The Blind Owl was not re-introduced in Iran until after Hedayat’s death.
After Hedayat’s suicide in 1951, the fourth edition was published by Amir Kabir, and new editions of this work were published by Amir Kabir for the next several decades. This edition was said to have been edited and compiled by Hedayat’s father and Bozorg Alavi.3 This fourth fourth edition is the earliest typed edition this author could find and examine,4 and is available in several of the major libraries around the world (Edinburgh University, Harvard University, University of London, University of Manchester, University of Michigan, and the University of Pennsylvania). In addition to the fourth edition, I have closely examined the eighth Amir Kabir edition,5