Translation as an instrument of "disagreement"

The Colonel.
Haus Pub. (May 2011)

Persian novels are finding new audience outside Iran. Iranian authors who can not publish in Iran, despite their willing to have their works published at home, are increasingly finding translation as a new tool to reach their readership. German readership has shown a keen interest in Iranian fiction over the last decade.

 Following the German translation of F. H. Seyed Javadi's bestseller Der Morgen der Trunkenheit in 2002, the market has shown considerable interest to such an extent that conservative authors like M.R. Bayrami can resonate their voice in such works like Djalal reitet um sein Leben. ( Ab 9 J.). Eine Erzählung aus dem Sabalan- Gebirge im Iran (1999), and The Tales Of Sabalan: The Mountain Called Me and on the Edge of the Precipice (2008). 

The most recent event comes from a veteran author, Mahmoud Dowlatabadi, whose novel The Colonel is being published for the first time in German and now in English in 2011. Having faced problem of receiving permission for the publication of his book in Iran, Dowlatabadi found German readership more avid to read his work than the banned Iranian one. His novel is now nominated for the Man Asian Literary Prize. See also here.

It appears that this is the beginning of a new trend in Iran. Translation here works not only as an instrument of resistance, but as an instrument of "publication", of "visibility", and of "disagreement". Although the effect and the scope of the German and English translations of contemporary Persian novels remain an under-researched area, this trend can contribute to better recognition of less-know Persian fiction. This is also a rich research area for the TS researchers.