Mehdi Sahabi’s Night

Bukhara Evenings over the past few years have been dedicated to numerous individuals from various fields, serving as a tribute to the hardworking individuals in the realms of Iranian culture, art, and literature. The usual format of Bukhara Evenings involves a brief clip from previous events, followed by Mr. Ali Dehbashi introducing the guest of honor and inviting speakers one by one to deliver their speeches. The 779th night of Bukhara was dedicated to Mehdi Sahabi, a distinguished Iranian translator, writer, journalist, painter, and photographer. This ceremony was held on November 6, 2024, nearly fifteen years after his passing, at the Iranian Artists Forum in the Jalil Shahnaz hall.The first speaker of the session was Mr. Ali Dehbashi, who provided a brief introduction to Sahabi. Following him, Dr. Mehdi Hosseini, a painter and university professor, shared personal anecdotes about Mehdi Sahabi and discussed his significance in contemporary Iranian art. The next speaker was Dr. Mohammad Fadaei, an artist and university professor, who focused on the script and related elements in Mehdi Sahabi's paintings and photographs. After his speech, a short film directed by Mehdi Rezakhani and Mana Fard was screened. This film showcased the event ‘Mehdi Sahabi A Retrospective' held at the Museum of Contemporary Arts in Tehran in collaboration with the Mojdeh Art Gallery. The third speaker, Dr. Ahmad Mirabedini, a journalist and university professor, delved into Sahabi's journalistic career, emphasizing that Sahabi viewed journalism not as a hobby but as a full-time profession. The fourth speaker was Mr. Sohrab Ahmadi, who examined the translation of In Search of Lost Time and, using the perspective of the French psychoanalyst and semiotician Julia Kristeva, considered this translation as a new form of the Persian language. The final speaker was Dr. Marzieh Athari Niknazm, a semiotician and associate professor at Shahid Beheshti University, who used semiotic methods to analyze the semantic units of Sahabi's translation of Flaubert's Madame Bovary. Another short clip of Mehdi Sahabi himself was played, showcasing his wit. Finally, Mehdi Sahabi's brother, Mr. Majid Sahabi, discussed the formation process of the Mehdi Sahabi Foundation.

Thus concluded this Bukhara Evening, organized in collaboration with Mojdeh Art Gallery, the Mehdi Sahabi Foundation, and Bukhara Magazine. It is worth mentioning that, as Mr. Dehbashi noted, Mehdi Sahabi himself had participated in several Bukhara Evenings and delivered speeches.

Sohrab Ahmadi