Rashid Yasami

Rashid Yasami, Ghulam Riza (1896-1951), son of Muhammad ‘Ali Wali Khan Mir Panj Gurani Kirmanshahi. A writer, historian, belletrist, translator, and poet, hailing from Kermanshah. Having graduated from Saint Louis school, he worked for a while at the Danishkadih Society and was a member of the Literary Society of Iran. He had mastery of French, English, Pahlavi, and Arabic. His father, Muhammad Wali Khan Mir Panj, was a poet, artist, and calligrapher. He published the Divan of his grandfather on his mother’s side, Prince Muhammad Baqir Mirza-yi Khusraw, the composer of Shams u Tughra. He spent his childhood racing and hunting in Kurdish dress among his tribesmen and as he was raised in a family of artists, he was before long acquainted with the works of Persian poets and belletrists. Having received his primary education in Kermanshah, he went to Tehran to further his studies. He studied at Saint Louis school and learned Arabic and English and furthered his study of French. He learned Pahlavi in classes taught by Herzfeld. His literature teacher was Nizam Wafa. Having embarked upon his cultural, literary, and journalistic career, he studied with scholars, like Mirza Tahir Tunikabuni and Adib Pishawari. He received medical treatment for his blood pressure in 1955. Filled with excitement and emotions while opening a lecture at the theater of the Faculty of Letters, University of Tehran, packed with audience, on Wednesday 1 March 1958, he stammered and was led to a front seat, but half of his body was paralyzed. He was taken to Mirh Hospital and he received medical treatment in Iran for a month. Then, he settled in France and felt slightly better. Since the Exchange Office withheld conversion of his salary and state subsidy, he had to return to Iran and died in a fortnight’s time. After the establishment of University of Tehran in 1933, Yashimi taught history of Islam at the Faculty of Letters and Higher College of Agriculture and was also appointed Chair of History. He founded the Jarga-yi Danishwari (Society of Scholarship) was later changed to Anjuman-i Danishkadih (Faculty Society) by Malik al-Shu’ara’ Bahar. A year after the Coup, he contributed his articles to the Shafaq-i Surkh, edited by ‘Ali Dashti, and thus achieved his literary recognition. Accompanying a board of delegates consisting of Iranian professors, he traveled to India in 1943 and two years later traveled to France for research purposes to return to Iran after two years. He was a distinguished translator and writer as well. His poetry reflects social, intellectual, and cultural developments in the last century. His style is terse and elegant, imbued with novel themes and thoughts expressed exquisitely and profoundly. In addition to the literary, historical, philosophical, and critical articles contributed to periodicals, likt Nawbahar, Ayandih, Armaghan, the Ta’lim u Tarbiyat, Yaghma, and Mihr, numerous compilations, studies, and translations by him have been published. His works include: Adabiyyat-i Mu’asir; A’in-i Nigarish; Kurd wa Piywastigi-yi Nizhadi wa Tarikhi-yi U; Tarikh-i Mukhtasar-i Iran; Tarikh-i Milal wa Nihal; Ahwal-i Ibn Yamin; Tatabbu’ wa Intiqad dar Ahwal wa Athar-i Salman-i Sawaji; Tas-hih-i Divan-i Mas’ud-i Sa’d-i Salman; Nasa’ih-i Firdawsi; Andarznama-yi Asadi Tusi; Qanun-i Akhlaq; Divan consisting of his poetry; and numerous articles. His translations include: Tarikh-i Qarn-i Hijdahum, Inqilab-i Kabir-i Faransih wa Impiraturi-yi Napili’un by Albert Malet and Jules Isaac; Tarikh-i Adabiyyat-i Iran by Edward Browne; Iran dar Zaman-i Sasaniyan by Arthur Christensen; Tarikh-i Changiz by Harold Lamb; Tarikhchih-yi Nadir Shah; Shagird (Disciple), a novel by Paul Bourget; Dustyabi; Nasa’ih-i Ipiktitus-i Hakim (Epictetus); Ti’atr-i Anush (play in verse); Andarz-i Ushnar-i Danak; Andarz-i Azarbad-i Mihrispandan; Ardawirafnamih (the last three from the Pahlavi language).

Asar-afarinan (3/ 108); Tarikh-i Mashahir-i Kurd (2/ 310-316); Sukhanvaran-i Nami-yi Mu’asir (3/ 1528-1534).