Lutf ‘Ali Suratgar

Suratgar, Lutf’ali (1900-1969), son of Mirza Aqa Khan. He was born in Shiraz to the family of Lutf’ali Khan, an artist flourishing in the nineteenth century. His grandfather, Aqa Lutf’ali, was also a skillful artist in the nineteenth century whose works are to be found at museums in Paris and Saint Petersburg. Having received his primary education in Shiraz, he departed for India to further his studies. Upon his return from India, he found employments at the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Education. He established the Sipidihdam journal and taught at the Faculty of Letters and the Higher Education College. He served as the chancellor of the University of Shiraz for a while. He was sent by the government in 1927 to Europe to further his studies in English language and literature. Having completed his studies, he returned to Iran, but he departed for London again in 1937 and wrote his Ph.D. dissertation, entitled The Influence of Persian Literature on English Literature in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries and having obtained his doctorate degree, he returned to Iran.  He had married Olive Suratgar in England and his wife also taught at the Faculty of Letters. The Amuzish va Parvarish journal was published for a while by the Ministry of Education under his supervision. Accompanying the Iranian delegate to Hermitage Museum Exhibition, he went to Russia and also represented Iran at San Francisco Conference in 1945. He traveled to Pakistan 1943 as a delegate representing Iran’s benevolent intentions. He visited England, France, Germany, Italy, India, Turkey, and Egypt. He traveled to Tajikistan in 1967as a delegate participating at the conference devoted to poets composing in Persian. He taught at Columbia University in New York for a year. He contributed valuable articles to most of the well-known periodicals in Iran. He died in Shiraz on 25 September 1969 and was laid to rest beside the Tomb of Hafiz. His works include: ‘Ushshaq-i Napl (translation); Sukhansanji; Tarikh-i Adabiyyat-i Ingilisi; ‘Ilm-i Iqtisad; Divan; Adabiyyat-i Tawsifi-yi Iran; Adabiyyat-i Ghina’i-yi Iran; Shi’rbarg-ha-yi Parakandih.

Adibiyat nua'sir (67-8) Chishmih-i rushan (220-233)