An Examination of Committed Literature in the Works of Misagh Amirfajr, with Emphasis on the Novel Darreh-ye Jozamian

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD in Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Department of Persian Language and Literature, University of Qom

2 Professor of Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Department of Persian Language and Literature, University of Qom

10.22103/jrl.2025.25787.3075

Abstract

Committed literature, from the perspective of scholars, has been subject to diverse definitions and interpretations depending on intellectual and social frameworks. For instance, Jean-Paul Sartre regards this concept as a reciprocal necessity between the writer and society, considering any literary work that articulates freedom, justice, and equality to be “committed”. In contrast, in the post-Islamic Revolution era, committed literature has largely been defined through concepts such as “perseverance” and “resistance”. Existing studies indicate that the question of the human being, considered as a dimension transcending social events and ideological viewpoints, has received comparatively less attention in committed literature, particularly in the novel, and has instead been more prominently addressed in religious, mystical, and allegorical texts. Misagh Amirfajr is among the writers who have employed this notion of commitment in the service of divine philosophy, mysticism, and anthropology. The present study aimed to analyze the components of committed literature in Amirfajr’s works, especially the novel Darreh-ye Jozamian (The Valley of the Lepers), using an analytical method. The findings revealed that Amirfajr, in his works such as Darreh-ye Jozamian, Naghmeh Dar Zanjir (A Melody in Chains), Warqa (Turtledove), Ishraq (Illumination), and Do Qadam Ta Qaf (Two Steps to Qaf), avoids a purely non-committed literary approach and instead structures his narratives around dialogue, reflection, and intellectual confrontation. This trajectory of character development in these works is directed from materialism toward mysticism and spirituality, and under the influence of mystical treatises, the path of spiritual wayfaring from creation to God is narrated. Belief in the One God, hope in a savior, and moral responsibility constitute central themes in his works, demonstrating that committed literature can simultaneously engage with profound humanistic and philosophical concerns.
 

Keywords

References

References[In Persian]
Akbaryani, Mohammad-Hashem. (2017). Ideology and Literature. Tehran: Morvarid.
Amirfajr, Misagh. (1982). Two Steps to Qaf. Tehran: Amirkabir.
_____  .(1985). Turtledove. Tehran: Amirkabir.
_____  .(1994). Illumination. 1st ed. Tehran: Ferdows.
_____ .(1998). “The Philosophy of Illumination (A Study of the Works and Thoughts of Sheikh Shihab al-Din Suhrawardi)”. Philosophy Letter, No. 4, pp. 128–152.
_____  .(2007) .The Valley of the Lepers. Tehran: Ferdows
Amiri Khorasani, Ahmad & Hedayati, Fatemeh. (2014). “Resistance Literature: Definitions and Boundaries”. Resistance Literature, Year 6, No. 10, pp. 23–41.
Alinaghi-Beygi, Zahra. (2008). “A Study of Fiction in the Revolutionary Period with a Focus on the Works of Misagh Amirfajr ”. Ketab-e Mah-e Adabiyat, No. 136, pp. 60–72.
Basiri, Mohammad-Sadegh. (2005). Outline and Explanation of Some Questions about the Foundations of Resistance Literature. Resistance Letter. Kerman: Foundation for the Preservation and Publication of Sacred Defense Values .
Cartidge, James. (2022) “Committed Literature from Sartre’s Perspective”. Translated by Mahtab Khosroshahi. Azma Monthly, No. 167, pp. 42–44.
Dastgheib, Abdolali. (1997). Towards Indigenous Fiction Writing. Tehran: Hoze-ye Honari.
Editorial Board. (1982). The Perfect Human from the Perspectives of Nietzsche, Marx, and Erich Fromm. Tehran: Islamic Studies Correspondence Institute.
Egleton, Terry. (2018). Materialism. Translated by Rahman Bouzari. Tehran: Markaz.
Hejazi, Bahjat-Al-Sadat. (2015). A Perspective on Literary Developments after the Victory of the Islamic Revolution. Tehran: Elmi va Farhangi.
Hejazi, Bahjat-Al-Sadat & Mirzaei, Raziyeh. (2018). An Analysis of Darreh-ye Jozamian with a Sociological Approach to Literature. Thirteenth International Conference of the Association for the Promotion of Persian Language and Literature. October 16–18, Shiraz University. pp. 2765-2779.
Kakayi, Abdoljabar. (2000). A Comparative Study of Resistance Themes in Iranian and World Poetry. Tehran: Palizan.
Makhzan-Mousavi, Abolhasan. (2014). The Perfect Human in Islamic Mystical Texts. Tehran: Ahl al-Bayt International University.
Malekouti, Mohammad-Hossein. (1976). Committed Art and Literature. Tehran: Dar-ol-Nashr-e Eslami.
Mirabedini, Hasan. (1998). One Hundred Years of Iranian Fiction, Vol. 3. Tehran: Cheshmeh.
Sartre, Jean-Paul. (1991). What is Literature? Translated by Abolhasan Najafi & Mostafa Rahimi. Tehran: Ketab-e Zaman.
Saeed, Edward. (2006). Representations of the Intellectual. Tehran: Ney Publishing .
Sharifi, Mohammad. (2016). Dictionary of Contemporary Persian Literature. Tehran: Farhang-e Nashr-e No.
Sadeghi Arzegani, Mohammad-Amin. (2007). The Doctrine of Mahdism in Islamic Mysticism. Tehran: Elmi va Farhangi.
Torabi, Zia al-Din. (2010). An Introduction to World Resistance Literature. Tehran: Foundation for the Preservation and Publication of Sacred Defense Values .
Zarshenas, Shahryar. (2002). “The Relationship between Literature, Commitment, and Idealism”. Fiction Literature, Nos. 66–67, pp. 22–25.
 
 
Journal of Resistance Literature
Volume 17, Issue 33
February 2025
Pages 188-205

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics