Reformulation of the Ideals of Heroism in Bahram Beyzaie’s Dramatic Worlds

with Saeed Talajooy

In this talk, Saeed Talajooy first introduces his recent edited volume on Bahram Beyzaie and then briefly discusses his two chapters in the book, which analyse Beyzaie’s reformulation of the ideals of heroism in Ārash and So Dies Pahlevān Akbar.

In his analysis of Ārash, after examining the origins of the myth of Ārash, he demonstrates how  Beyzaie’s play creates a new form that stands between naqqāli and ta‘ziyeh while commenting on citizenship, leadership, marginalization, and heroism.

In his analysis of So Dies Pahlevān Akbar, Talajooy argues that the play introduced a new conception of heroism and initiated a new interest in the Iranian chivalry cult, Āyin-e Javānmardi, and its ideal heroes, Pahlevān and Ayyār, as a tragic figure in contrast with the streetwise tough guys who had become central to Iranian cinema from 1958. After reviewing the ideals of Javānmardi, Talajooy reflects on how Beyzaie’s selfless hero is a victim of marginalisation, who cannot survive the machinations of a modern society.

About the speaker:

Saeed Talajooy is a Senior Lecturer in Persian at the University of St Andrews, UK. His research is on the reflections of the changing patterns of Iranian identity in Persian literature and Iranian cinema and theatre. His most recent publications include a monograph entitled Iranian Culture in Bahram Beyzaie’s Cinema in Theatre: Paradigms of Being and Belonging (I. B. Tauris, 2023), an edited volume entitled The Plays and Films of Bahram Beyzaie: Origins, Forms and Functions (I. B. Tauris, 2024), and two books which in each case include a translation of a play by Bahram Beyzaie and its analysis: The One Thousand and First Night and Afra or the Day Is Passing.