“Big Strange Uncle” honors Persian translator of Shel Silverstein’s books Razi Hirmandi
TEHRAN –(Iranart)- Razi Hirmandi, the Iranian translator of books by American children’s book writer Shel Silverstein, was honored during the first performance of the play “My Little Big Strange Uncle” in Tehran on Monday.
The play inspired by stories written by Silverstein has been written by Gita Davudi, and Nasser Avijeh directs it at the Bustan Hall of the Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (IIDCYA) in Tehran.
Avijeh, who also performs the role of Silverstein in the play, went on stage on the first night and said, “I am Shel Silverstein born in 1930 in Chicago and died of heart attack in 1999. I wrote many books for children, I wrote songs, and I did many paintings.
“My books have been translated into different languages, especially in Persian, and the individual who introduced me to Iranian readers is none other than Razi Hirmandi,” he added.
Hirmandi went on stage with a round of applause and receiving red roses from the children actors of the play.
“If Shel Silverstein is introduced to Iranian book readers, I was not alone. The publications of Hastan, Ofoq, IIDCYA, and my dear wife, as well as you, the book readers, helped introduce Silverstein in Iran, and I am thankful to all of you,” he told the audience.
Avijeh has also launched a program titled “One Night, One Play, and One Writer”, which introduces one writer to theatergoers every night.
Maryam Ashuri, Mahak Fattahpur, Mehrdad Baqeri Shahin-Golkar, Mohammad Allahdadi, Saba Soleimani and Raha Avijeh are other actors of the play, which will be running until August 22.
“My Little Big Strange Uncle” tells the story of a library run by a lady who believes stories and books can have good and magical effects. The arrival of a sad and lonely girl named Sara at the library leads to strange stories.
Silverstein was born in Chicago, and began writing and drawing at a young age. He became a cartoonist, playwright, poet, performer, recording artist and Grammy-winning, Oscar-nominated songwriter.
Silverstein is best known as the author of iconic books of prose and poetry for young readers. His works include such modern classics as “Lafcadio: The Lion Who Shot Back”, “The Giving Tree”, “A Giraffe and a Half”, “The Missing Piece”, and “The Missing Piece Meets the Big O”.
His immensely popular poetry collections are “Where the Sidewalk Ends”, a 1974 Michigan Young Readers Award winner, and “A Light in the Attic”, recipient of the School Library Journal Best Books Award in 1982.
Silverstein’s books, which he also illustrated, are characterized by a deft mixing of the sly and the serious, the macabre, and the just plain silly. His unique imagination and bold brand of humor is beloved by countless adults and children throughout the world.
source: Tehran Times