Robin Hood of the Desert

by Masoud Behnoud, Pooya Yazdani (Translator)

Set mainly during the time of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar in Iran, the stories of this book are true stories about people and events that once everyone remembered but with the passing of time they have slipped from memory. One may wonder about what impact these stories will have if they are told again; whether people will remember them; and if they will get the attention they once had. The answer to these questions was the temptation behind this compilation. It led to an effort to bring these memories back to the forefront of people s minds. The hope is that people will eventually love them again the stories as well as the story makers. These stories are not fiction; some parts do have traces in history though they are not history either. The people in these stories were once well known but now their memory is buried under years and years of history. They can be likened, more than anything else, to old photographs in which faces are distorted by creases and the colors tarnished. Someone has made an effort to retouch them and brighten the rusty colors to his taste. But in the eyes of the beholder, the picture may sometimes appear as a true version of reality of our world or a reflection of an amateur painter s imagination.

Genres: Iran, Novels

184 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1997

About the author

مسعود بهنود
Masoud Behnoud, (مسعود بهنود in Persian) a prominent Iranian journalist and writer, was born on July 27, 1947 in Tehran. He started his work as a journalist in 1964. During his long career he worked as an investigating journalist for different newspapers. He founded more than 20 newspapers and magazines, none of them are currently in publication.

Between 1971-79 he was the chief editor of the most influential and popular daily in Iran "Ayandegan". This newspaper was closed in 1979 on the orders of Ayatollah Khomeini and its editor and senior staff were all imprisoned. During 1972-79 he also worked as a producer, writer and speaker for the "National Iranian Radio and Television". In 1979 Massoud Behnoud became the chief editor of the weekly "Tehran-e Mosavvar", which was shut down by the Islamic government after 30 issues during the crackdown of all non-governmental and independent newspapers.

Between 1972 and 1979 Massoud Behnoud was one of the most important and active figures of the trade union of Iranian journalists.

Reviews

[ZaRi · Rating 3 out of 5]

پس وقتی می پرسی اسمت چیه می گویم گلاب ,ووقتی می پرسی از کدام سر زمینی وجوابت را می دهم از سر زمین عقرب وگل سرخ ومی گویی شغلت چه بود می گویم بافتن آرزو" ......"باید زبان دل مرا بفهمی زبان عقرب ها ,زبان دارهای قالی ,زبان گل سرخ وبالاخره زبان عقرب وگل سرخ ".......راستی تو از عقرب چه می دانی .می دانی عقرب ها عاشقان متعصبی هستند "....".یک شب در خواب عقربی را دیدم که وقتی معشوقش را بر دوش می برد وآواز می خواند ....

[Tioarifi · Rating 4 out of 5]

برای کسانی که فراموش شده اند

[Sadaf · Rating 3 out of 5]

داستان کوتاه خیلی مطابق سلیقه من نیست با این وجود کتاب نسبتا به دل نشست و هرچه به انتها نزدیک میشد خواندنی ترمیشد

[Mehrnaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging read that takes you back to the Qajar era through vivid storytelling and a smooth English translation. One of the things I enjoyed was seeing those beautiful old Iranian names written in English — names like Akhtar, Golab, Qoli, Manouchehr, and many others. They brought the characters to life and added authenticity and warmth to the stories.

I especially loved the story of Malijak — probably the closest to real history, and definitely the most memorable for me. The opening tale told by Golab was another favorite, though the Monaco wedding near the end felt a bit too dramatic.

An enjoyable read for anyone interested in Persian history told through personal, human-centered tales.

[Nasim · Rating 4 out of 5]

داستانی شیرین در بستری تاریخی و شبه واقعی. تخیل بهنود در شاخ و برگ دادن به واقعیت خیلی شیرینه و نوشته را جذاب می کنه.

[Rasol Azimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

عالی بود تاریخ نگاری از گوشه های نا نوشته تاریخ

[مجید]

مجموع ای از داستان های تاریخی کوتاه از ادوار مختلف تاریخی.منتی از زاویه ای دیگر.

[Farida Qadipasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

این کتاب شامل داستانای کوتاهه تاریخیه که بعضیاش خوب و دلنشین بودن.

[Reyhane · Rating 3 out of 5]

مجموعه داستان کوتاه، با ماجراهای قجری.

[Zeinab Aghamiri]

فوق‌العاده! بَه به قلم جناب بهنود.
این کتاب را دوست داشتم و از دو وجه تاریخی و درونی با آن ارتباط گرفتم و البته زبان روایت‌ قصه‌ها در ابتدا برایم خیلی نامأنوس بود که رفته رفته روان‌تر شد.
در خلال روایت‌ها، ریسمان نازکی مرا به روزگار قدیم اتصال داد که گرمای کوچکی در دلم ایجاد کرد. از سیب چرخاندن خانوم باشی در حوض و ناصرالدیش ناش عزیزش تا حبیب خواب‌زده، احمدرضایی که دیگر احمدرضا نبود، گلابی که هم‌بازی عقرب‌ها شد، مونس السلطنه بخت‌برگشته و حتی ملیجک… همه و همه برایم خواندنی بودند.

[Maryam Afshar · Rating 5 out of 5]

روایت آنانی که در تنگنایِ بی رحمِ تاریخِ قدرتمندان، گم شده اند...

[Amin Ebrahimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

بهنود بسیار قصه گوست.

[Ali shaker]

i love behnoud's book and this book has many story, they are truth

[Hamidreza_buddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

خیلی خوشم اومد. باید برم سراغ بقیه کتاباش

[masoud mahdavi · Rating 3 out of 5]

نثر شيوا و جذابي داشت .... پس از مدتها كتاب خارجي ترجمه شده خواندن ، انتخاب خوبيست براي يك كتاب ايراني....