Abdorrahim Jafari
Abdorrahim Jafari | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1919-11-03 Tehran, Iran |
| Died | 2015-10-03 Tehran, Iran |
| Occupation(s) | Publisher, bookseller, writer |
| Years active | 1949–1979 |
| Known for | Founder of Amir Kabir Publishers |
Abdorrahim Jafari (1919–2015) was an influential Iranian publisher who established Amir Kabir Publishers, which emerged as the largest publishing enterprise in the Middle East by the 1960s.
Early life and career
Born on 3 November 1919 in Tehran, Jafari’s early life was marked by hardship. His father, a street vendor, abandoned the family shortly after his birth, leaving his mother to provide for them through weaving. At the age of twelve, after completing five years of primary education, he began working in a print shop as a janitor and messenger. Over time, he acquired skills in operating printing machinery and advanced to the position of foreman despite enduring long working hours and irregular wages.
He married Seddiga Elmi, the daughter of his employer. During the Second World War, he served two years as a conscripted soldier. After recovering from typhoid fever post-war, he lost his position at the print shop, which compelled him to venture into entrepreneurship—initially as a grocer and subsequently in book retail. Lacking financial resources, he rented a modest space near Tehran's central mosque to sell books on commission. Within months, he relocated to a small room on Nasser Khosro Street within Tehran’s Grand Bazaar area, where he began publishing books.
Amir Kabir Publishers
In 1949, Jafari launched Amir Kabir Publishers with the aim of filling the void between low-quality religious and folk publishers and elite academic publishing houses in Persia. The company focused on catering to the "expanding middle classes" by producing both "religious texts and contemporary literary and historical masterpieces" to satisfy intellectual curiosity.
Amir Kabir quickly became Iran’s foremost publisher of scholarly literature, particularly works related to its literary heritage. Its reputation grew significantly in the mid-1950s after publishing the collected writings of Sadegh Hedayat. The company also issued important reference works, including the six-volume Moin Encyclopedic Dictionary, which editor Mohammad Moin compiled over ten years with aspirations to compete with Western dictionaries such as Webster's Dictionary and Grand Larousse encyclopédique. Among its distinguished publications was a deluxe 1971 edition of the Shahnameh, featuring calligraphy and miniatures by renowned Iranian artists. Amir Kabir also introduced a series modeled after the French Que sais-je? collection and initiated an affordable literary series named Šāhkārhā-ye adabiyāt-e fārsi (Masterpieces of Persian Literature) in 1954.
To market its catalog, Jafari managed a book club, operated a bookstore network with thirteen outlets throughout Tehran, and hosted his own book fairs.
Within twenty years, Amir Kabir had become recognized as the "largest publishing house in the Middle East," having released over 2,000 titles (or 2,700 when including merged publishers) by its thirtieth year.
1979 Revolution
After the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Jafari endured eight months of imprisonment. His publishing firm was seized through legal decree and handed over to Sāzemān-e Tabliḡāt-e Eslāmi (the Organization for the Promotion of Islam).
Last years
Jafari attempted legal action to recover his properties but was unsuccessful. He spent his later life in what has been described as "forced retirement," persistently striving to regain control over Amir Kabir. Between 2003 and 2007, he published an autobiography and served as inspiration for the documentary In Search of Illumination.
He passed away on 3 October 2015 at age 98 in Tehran.
Legacy
Mehrdad Sheikhan, an Iranian filmmaker, emphasized Jafari's significance not only as a publisher but also as a trailblazer in society who opened doors for writers, poets, translators, artists, and editors to create groundbreaking works. Jafari actively promoted emerging talents such as Forugh Farrokhzad, Simin Behbahani, Rahi Mo'ayyeri, and Mina Assadi. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, his publishing house was instrumental in raising cultural awareness within Iranian society through its publications.
The forward-thinking cultural approach of Jafari served as an inspiration for later generations of Iranian publishers, including Nashre No, established by his son Reza Jafari, which remains a significant influence in the country's publishing sector.
Books
- Abdurrahim J'afari, در جستجوی صبح - عبدالرحیم جعفری (Dar Jostojouy-e Sobh / Dar justujūy-i ṣubḥ) (English: "In Search of Dawn"), Tehran: روزبهان، (Ruzbihan / Roozbehan), 2003-2007, 2 volumes – Autobiographical work by Jafari
- Abbas Milani, editor, "Abdurrahim Jafari" (entry), featured in: Eminent Persians: The Men and Women Who Made Modern Iran, 1941-1979, Syracuse University Press; Persian World Press, 2008, Vol. 2, pp. 627-631
Video documentary
- In Search of Illumination – trailer for the documentary
- In Search of Illumination, imdb.com
- In Search of Illumination, mehrdadsheikhan.com
External links
- Jafari Publications – official site
- Abdorrahim Jafari on BBC Persian (in Farsi)
- Amir Kabir Publishers on BBC Persian (in Farsi)