Ebrahim Taghavi Shirazi (Persian: ابراهیم گلستان, 19 October 1922 – 22 August 2023), known as Ebrahim Golestan, was an Iranian filmmaker and literary figure. Golestan was closely associated with Iranian poet Forough Farrokhzad, whom he met in his studio in 1958, until her death. He was said to have inspired her to live more independently.[2] It could also be said that she inspired him in his artistic vision. He lived in Sussex, United Kingdom from 1975 until his death.

Ebrahim Golestan
ابراهیم گلستان
Golestan in 1968
Born
Ebrahim Taghavi Shirazi

(1922-10-19)19 October 1922
Died22 August 2023(2023-08-22) (aged 100)
Sussex, England
EducationUniversity of Tehran (unfinished)
Occupation(s)Writer and director
Spouse
(m. 1942; died 2012)
PartnerForough Farrokhzad[1] (1960s–1967)
ChildrenLeili and Kaveh
Family
Wykehurst Place owned by Ebrahim Golestan

Biography

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Ebrahim Golestan was married to his cousin, Fakhri Taghavi Shirazi; their son was photojournalist Kaveh Golestan and their daughter was Lili Golestan, translator and owner and artistic director of the Golestan Gallery in Tehran, Iran.[3] A grandson, Mani Haghighi, is also a film director. His other grandson, Mehrak, is a rapper.

Golestan was a member of the Tudeh Party of Iran, but broke away from the party in January 1948.[4]

After Forough Farrokhzad's death, Golestân was protective of her privacy and memory. For example, in response to the publication of a biographical/critical study by Michael Craig Hillmann called A Lonely Woman: Forugh Farrokhzad and Her Poetry (1987), he published a lengthy attack against Hillmann in a Tehran literary magazine,[5] to which Hillmann responded at length in an article, part of which was also published in the same Tehran literary magazine. In 2005, Golestan's long conversation with Parviz Jahed was published in Iran under the title Writing with a Camera (Neveshtan ba Doorbin).[citation needed]

In February 2017, 50 years after Farrokhzad's death, the 94-year-old Golestan broke his silence about his relationship with Forough, speaking to Saeed Kamali Dehghan of The Guardian. Golestan said: "I rue all the years she isn't here, of course, that's obvious. We were very close, but I can't measure how much I had feelings for her. How can I? In kilos? In metres?"[6]

Golestan participated in the 2022 documentary See You Friday, Robinson. Director Mitra Farahani initiated an email exchange between Golestan and French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard, with emailed text letters from Golestan and "videos, images, and aphorism" responses from Godard.[7]

Golestan turned 100 in October 2022,[8] and died in Sussex on 22 August 2023.[9]

Works

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Golestan started his film studio Golestan Films in 1957 and produced some documentaries for the National Iranian Oil Company. A Fire and Moj, Marjan and Khara are amongst these films. He also produced the Forough Farrokhzad film The House is Black.[10]

Books

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Stories

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  • Âzar, mâh-e âkher-e pâ’iz (Azar, the last month of autumn), 1948[11]
  • Shekâr-e sâyeh (Shadow-hunting), 1955[11]
  • Juy-o divâr-o teshneh (The stream, the wall and the thirsty one), 1967[11]
  • Madd-o meh (Tide and mist), 1969[11]
  • Rooster, 1995[11]
  • Neveshtan Ba Dourbin, 2005[citation needed]
  • Sprachman, Paul (1982). "Ebrahim Golestan's the Treasure: A Parable of Cliché and Consumption". Iranian Studies. 15 (1): 155–180. doi:10.1080/00210868208701598. JSTOR 4310386.

Filmography

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Documentaries

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  • Yek atash (A fire) (1961)[12]
  • Moj, marjan, khara (1962)[13][14]
  • The Hills of Marlik (1963)[15]
  • The crown jewels of Iran (1965)[16]

Drama

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References

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  1. ^ "گذري بر زندگي نامه"ابراهيم گلستان"". www.chouk.ir. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  2. ^ "Farough timeline". Retrieved 8 April 2012.
  3. ^ "Masoud Soheili". masoudsoheili.com. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  4. ^ Maziar, Behrooz (2000). Rebels With A Cause: The Failure of the Left in Iran. I.B.Tauris. p. 168. ISBN 1860646301.
  5. ^ "Az Yek Maqâleh va Chand Ostâd."
  6. ^ "Former lover of the poet known as Iran's Sylvia Plath breaks his silence". the Guardian. 12 February 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  7. ^ Vivarelli, Nick (5 August 2021). "Jean-Luc Godard Non-Conventional Documentary 'See You Friday Robinson' Set For Festival Circuit (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  8. ^ "Monography: Ebrahim Golestan | Earthly Songs: Ebrahim Golestan on his 100th birthday". Vienna International Film Festival. 20 October 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  9. ^ "ابراهیم گلستان درگذشت". Fararu. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  10. ^ ابراهیم گلستان زندگانی-ابراهیم-گلستان Tarikhema (in Persian)
  11. ^ a b c d e f g "Iranian filmmaker, literary figure Ebrahim Golestan dies at 101". Tehran Times. 23 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  12. ^ "Yek Atash (A Fire)". FarsiLand. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  13. ^ Golestan, Ebrahim; Pendry, Alan, Moj, marjan, khara (Documentary, Short), Studio Golestan, retrieved 24 August 2023
  14. ^ "Moj o marjan o khara". www.viennale.at. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  15. ^ "Tappe-haye Marlik (The Hills of Marlik). 1963. Directed by Ebrahim Golestan Roma. 1972. Directed by Federico Fellini | MoMA". The Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  16. ^ "The Crown Jewels of Iran". iffr.com. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  17. ^ ".: Iranian Movie DataBase عوامل فيلم خشت و آينه :". www.sourehcinema.com. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
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