Winners of the 2nd edition of the Seyyed Ali Andarzgu Literary Awards were announced.
The Art Bureau of the Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization established the awards in 2019 to honor books on the 1979 Islamic revolution.
“Mati Khan” by Abdorrahman Onaq and “Honoring” by Ali-Asghar Ezzati-Pak were selected as best adult novels.
In “Mati Khan”, the story begins with an announcement from Mati Khan and other leaders of the Turkmen tribes in the northeastern regions of Iran, who warn of the establishment of border checkpoints by the government during the early days of the reign of Reza Shah.
The Turkmen are not optimistic about the government’s plan, so Reza Shah selects a tough bunch of his men to implement it. As a result, the Turkmen now face harsh restrictions imposed by the border patrol agents even on their daily movements.
“Honoring” is about Shahriar, a man who finds out on his wedding night that his wife has given information to security agents about Mostafa, his close friend and a revolutionary.
He leaves his wife alone, embarking on a journey to find Mostafa.
“Marks of Main Fingers” by Hossein Qorbanzadeh and “The Third Tunnel” by Fatemeh Elyasi won awards in the children’s novel category.
“Marks of Main Fingers,” tells the story of Abazar, a young man whose musician father leaves behind a komuz, an ancient fretless string instrument used in Central Asian music, after his death.
Abazar’s uncle who is a religious man wants him to attend an Islamic seminary in Tabriz. However, Abazar joins a troupe, performing music in royal ceremonies in 1979.
He falls in love with Golara, a member of the troupe who is also the daughter of the police chief. But the uncle’s hostile attitudes toward the police chief influence the relationship between Abazar and Golara.
“A Man Named Reza Who Was Then Called Reza Khan”, a biography of Reza Shah by Hedayatollah Behbudi, was honored in the History Narration category.
The book recounts the life story of the first monarch of the Pahlavi dynasty from his birth in 1878 until 1921 when he was selected as the commander of the Iranian Army in the new government after the 1921 coup.
