Mohammad Ali Jamalzadeh

Mohammad Ali Jamālzādeh ( 1892 - 1997 ) was one of the foremost figures of twentieth-century Persian literature and is widely regarded as the father of the modern Persian short story. Known for his lucid prose, satirical tone, and deft use of humor, Jamālzādeh transformed Persian fiction by bringing colloquial language and contemporary social concerns into literary expression.

His landmark work, Yeki Bud Yeki Nabud (یکی بود یکی نبود — Once Upon a Time), published in Berlin in 1921, marked a turning point in Persian prose. When it reached Iran a year later, it provoked fierce public and clerical outrage for its critical portrayal of Iranian society; copies of the book were burned in public squares. The collection’s six stories examine Iran’s social and political realities at the dawn of the twentieth century—subjects that had until then remained largely untouched by writers and poets. Interwoven into these narratives are Jamālzādeh’s sharp critiques of Western interference in Iran and his satirical treatment of religious fanaticism.

Through his clear and conversational style, enriched by gentle humor and a strong moral undertone, Jamālzādeh gave new life and purpose to Persian fiction. Yeki Bud Yeki Nabud continues to stand as enduring example of his literary art. The public hostility that followed the publication of his early works, however, led him to withdraw from literary activity for nearly two decades—a silence that only deepened his later reputation as a pioneering yet controversial voice in modern Persian literature.