Husayn ‘Ali Musta‘an

Musta’an, Husaynquli (1904-1982), a writer a poet born in Tehran. Having completed his high school education at the Dar al-Funun, he studied at the School of Political Science for a while. He embarked upon his journalistic career in 1919 and contributed to the semi-official newspaper, Iran, at the age of 17 years and published his first poems and short stories in the Nasim-i Shumal, Ittihad, and Iran newspapers. He published his first works of fiction in the Mihrigan journal in 1935 with the nom de plume H.M. Hamid. He was also a translated and produced one of the best translations of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables. He published the Rahnama-yi Zindigi journal in 1940 and never ceased to write for a period of 57 years (1921-1978). He turned towards politics consequent to the August 1941 incident and served as the editor-in-chief and director of a number of political newspapers, like Akhbar-i Ruz, Akhbar, and Dastur and also wrote scripts for some radio programs in the 1940s. He was appointed the director of the council of radio program writers in 1949. He was a prolific writer and could write seven to eight short stories and serials in one week without any delay. He contributed his short stories to the Radio magazine from 1956 to 1961, the majority of which comprised of didactic and social stories ending in moral lessons. His prose style was fluent, simple, and imaginative and he made masterful characterizations. He made no changes to his rough copies. He wrote about 1,000 short stories and 200 books, hence his appellation ‘the man with a thousand stories’ (mard-i hazar dastan). Musta’an wrote numerous radio dramas in the 1950s and 1960s and was appointed the director of the radio for a while in the late 1940s. he died on 5 March 1982. His noms de plume include Habib, Anushih, and H.M. Hamid. His works include Afsana (1925); ‘Ali Baba (1927); Andishih-ha-yi Jawani (1936); Nuri (1939); Gul-i Bikhar (1940); Naz (1940); Dilaram (1940); Azita (1940); Shuridih (1940); Shidih (1940); Shahrzad (1940); Ghazal (1940); Shirin (1940); Akharin (1940); Afsurdih-dil (1941); Bihisht-i Ru-yi Zamin (1941); ‘Ishq-i Azad (1941); Pashiman (1941); Shurangiz (1941); Mihrabani (1942); Dastanha (1942); Nush (1942); Alamud (1943); Guli (1943); Lazzat (1943); Nargis (1943); Shahrashub (1955-1957); Bihisht (1956); ‘Ishq (1957); ‘Arus (1957); ‘Ishq-i Muqaddas (1957); Dilkhastih (1957); Qasr-i Insaniyyat (1959); Qissih-yi Ruswa’i (1963); Atash bih Jan-i Sham’ Fitad (1963); Ustukhan Zir-i Piy (1964); Nuqtih-ha-yi Sharab (1964); Gunah-i Muqaddas (1964); Misl-i Khuda kih Mal-i Hamih Ast (1970); Tar-i Shikastih; Majara-yi Dil-i Sarafkandih; Dastanha-yi Hamid; Persian translation of Les Miserable. He was at the zenith of fame from 1939 to 1941. Having written fiction at the age of 20 years, he soon achieved fame. He was a prolific and detail oriented writer writing in a fluent and simple style intelligible to people from different walks of life.

Shibh-i Khatirat.