Mehdi Azaryazdi: The Father Iranian Child and Teenage Literature

Mehdi Azaryazdi was a prominent and one of the most successful contemporary writers for children and teenagers. He always lived in the mysterious and lively world of children and found their highest pleasure in reading.

Who Was Mehdi Azaryazdi?

Mehdi was born in 1922 AD in Khorramshah neighborhood in the outskirts of Yazd City. As suggested by his surname, his ancestors were Zoroastrian. Mehdi’s father was a farmer and Mehdi, like many of his peers, used to farm alongside his father since he was a child. In his youth, he worked as a bricklayer and also worked in a socks-making workshop for some time. After a while, the owner of this workshop decided to establish a bookstore in Yazd. Mehdi was one of those who was chosen to work in that bookstore. This incident was the beginning of Mehdi Azaryazdi’s entry into the world of books and literature.

After working in that bookstore for some time, Azaryazdi went to Tehran and got a job in a printing house. It was in this printing house that he came up with the idea of rewriting old Persian stories in a simple language and making the stories understandable for children. This decision led to the birth of the first volume of the book “Good Stories for Good Children”. After the feedback he received for this book, he continued his work and was able to write seven more volumes of “Good Stories for Good Children” and 10 volumes of “New Stories from Ancient Books”. He also wrote about 30 other books, including “Mathnavi for Children”, “Chess Tutorial”, “Photography Tutorial”, and “Simple Stories”.

This Iranian writer never got married and never engaged in a government job. Azaryazdi devoted all his time to reading and writing. He passed away in 2009 at the age of 87 in Tehran and was buried in his hometown Yazd.

Features of Azaryazdi’s Works

Most of the works of this Iranian author were rewritings of old Persian works and narratives of the lives of ancient personalities. For example, the eight volumes of “Good Stories for Good Children” include the stories of “Kalila and Demna” (Persian translation of Sanskrit book Pañcatantra), “Marzbannameh”, “Sandbadnameh and Qabusnameh”, Rumi’s “Masnavi Manavi”, “The Holy Qur’an”, “Golestan”, and “The Life of 14 Infallibles”. This set has been translated into Spanish, Armenian, Chinese, and Russian languages.

The set “Good Stories for Good Children” should be considered the most reprinted book for children and teenagers in Iran. This set has been reprinted more than 60 times. The rewritten stories in this set have also been used to create numerous works for children and teenagers, including a 26-episode animation series with the same name.

Technically, Azaryazdi’s prose is very simple. In his books, the author appears not as an adult who makes his language childlike, but as a storyteller child who speaks for his peers. Azaryazdi’s way of retelling stories was his own. He paid attention to the moral and educational aspects of stories, so that his books were not only a source of entertainment for children and teenagers, but also educated them and showed them the right path.

Azaryazdi can be considered the first Iranian writer who tried to rewrite ancient Persian works for children and teenagers. This author proved to everyone the beauty and effectiveness of Iran’s literary heritage in a period when a modern movement in Persian literature and poetry emerged and claimed that ancient literary works are no longer compatible with modern times. This irreplaceable service of Azaryazdi is enough for his name to remain bright and eternal in the starry sky of Persian literature.

National and International Awards and Badges

Azaryazdi was honored by UNESCO in 1964 AD after writing the book “Good Stories for Good Children”. He was also awarded many times in recognition of his works, including three badges for the best book of the year by the “Children's Book Council”.

Mehdi Azaryazdi is known as the “Father of Iranian Children and Teenagers Literature”. In 2023, “Iranian Storytelling” was inscribed on the list of Iran’s intangible national heritage in the memory of Mehdi Azaryazdi, in a ceremony held at his home. Also, the day of his demise (July 8) in Iran is named the “National Day of Children and Teenagers Literature”.

Azaryazdi can be considered the first Iranian writer who tried to rewrite ancient Persian works for children and teenagers.