Pseudonyms of Sadegh Hedayat in the Newspaper 'Mardom', Arash Irani - 2003-11-11

Sadegh Hedayat, the renowned Iranian writer, published several of his stories and articles under pseudonyms in the newspaper 'Mardom'. These names included: 'Rajabali Khushbavar', 'Rastgoo', 'Khoddad Kalimari', and 'Emam Qoli Tahi Pa'. According to research by Nasser Pakdaman, an Iranian writer and researcher, titled 'The Writings and Unwritten Works of Hedayat in the Newspaper Mardom from 12 Bahman 1320 to 11 Azar 1332', articles such as 'Farhang Farhangestan' were published under the pseudonym 'Rajabali Khushbavar' in issues 25 to 27, and 'The Case Under the Bush' in issues 34 and 35 under the signature 'Emam Qoli Tahi Pa', which were later reprinted in the collections 'Valangari', 'Sag-e Valgard', or in 'Majaleh Sokhan'. Furthermore, based on this research, Sadegh Hedayat, who was the first to translate a work by Jean-Paul Sartre in Iran, published it without mentioning the translator's name in issues 79 to 88 of the newspaper 'Mardom' under the title 'Divar'. Later, 'Divar' was reprinted in issues 11 and 12 of the monthly 'Sokhan', in Dey and Bahman 1324, with Sadegh Hedayat credited as the translator. This famous Iranian writer also introduced the works of Anton Chekhov and Franz Kafka to literature enthusiasts in Iran for the first time, publishing the story 'Grakos the Hunter' (written by Kafka - issues 38 and 39) and 'Moshaver-e Makhsoos' (written by Chekhov) in the newspaper 'Mardom' without his real signature. According to Mehras News, Pakdaman notes that everything published by Hedayat in 'Mardom', except for the translation of 'Moshaver-e Makhsoos', which had been previously published and was considered a reprint in 'Mardom', was later either reprinted in the monthly 'Sokhan' or in the two collections published by Hedayat titled 'Sag-e Valgard' and 'Valangari', including stories like 'Katia' (issues 104 to 107), 'Sag-e Valgard' (issues 108 to 112), 'Don Juan Karaj' (issues 113 to 117), 'Tarakikhaneh' (issues 126, 129, and 131), and 'Takht-e Abunasar' (issues 136 to 143). The researcher further mentions: 'In this study, microfilm collections available in the Majlis Library were used. This collection includes the newspaper 'Mardom' up to issue 130 (12/5/1321) and does not include issues one and 57 of this publication.' Mr. Pakdaman also utilized a list of footnotes published in the newspaper 'Mardom', prepared based on information from the National Library of Iran. According to him, the National Library only holds issues of 'Mardom' up to number 227; therefore, if writings by Hedayat were published in this newspaper between 13 Mordad and 11 Azar 1321 without continuation, they were not included in his research. The fate of Hedayat's writings that may have been published in the issues of 'Mardom' between 12 and 17 Azar remains unknown. This Iranian researcher emphasizes that the list provided in his study, considering the limitations in accessing necessary information, was compiled from Hedayat's published writings in issues 1 to 227 (11 Azar 1321) of the newspaper 'Mardom'. The newspaper 'Mardom' was published from 11 Bahman 1320 to 17 Azar 1321.