Ehsan Yarshater

Transcription

In these halls, you can breath history this is Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Near East Department many artifacts from ancient Persia are kept here together with much information about these works, and their classification but this is just one piece of the complex puzzle that is Iran's History here lives a man who has worked tirelessly for more than 30 years trying to register a complete picture of this grave and fascinating civilization Portraits New York skyscrapers glitter and grime but I'm here to visit a man who in the middle of all this commotion is only concerned with Iranian history in this quiet corner of New York in an unmarked building it's been over 30 years that the greatest encycloaedia of Iranian history and culture lives on and grows This is the Center for Iranian Studies at Columbia University we're here to see Ehsan Yarshater founder of Encyclopaedia Iranica Please have a seat Mr. Basmenji this is my office please .. please .. how many years in this office? we've been here more than 40 years meaning in this building this is my own office my colleagues are in other rooms and ... downstairs is a big room where our editors sit Isn't it rather a small office for the great work that you do? well ... first we had this office they gave us .. the university did then as our space became tighter they gave us another apartment but ... well, over the years our work has expanded and still our space is extremely cramped and .. we're hoping the University will give us more space soon so far, 13 volumes have been published and it is estimated by the time the last letter of English alphabet is published it will be 40 volumes for the past few years, an online version of encyclopaedia has also been made available for 40 years ... Ehsan Yarshater has been working tirelessly even despite his affliction with tremors which started with his hands advanced in the past few years and now affects his vocal cords as well before I know it, it's 1:00-1:30 in the afternoon then I go have lunch my eating lunch takes longer than normal reason is this tremor I have in my hands in a tight space, divided by walls of books editors of Iranica are busy these editors .. who are first rate Iranian Studies researchers have been carefully picked by Yarshater himself with his strict scholarly sensibility Yarshater's residence is just a few steps away from his office but heavy schedule doesn't even allow time to watch television where is that famous TV of yours? The one that's never been turned on? yes ... the TV that's been bought, but never been used this! What's the story here? I knew I'd never get to watch TV programs but since some friends send me CD's, DVD's and other such I thought if it's ever necessary I shall have something they keep sending CD's ... but unfortunately I still have no time to watch or hear them now let's see what's on yes ... maybe you can get it to work well, this is the ON button I hope it turns on channel one ... and ... yes .. static other channels ... looks like it's never been hooked up ... Yarshater was born in 1920 in Hamedan at the age of 5 he moved to Kermanshah with his family little Ehsan lost both mother and father at an early age mother's memory has a special place in his heart they say: [adage] sparrow has to have seven chicks before one of them becomes a warbler it was said my mother was that warbler ... because she had a nice figure, she was beautiful ... I submit .. had a very fine voice and .. played the flute too Ehsan grew up with his uncle in Tehran after finishing high school, he studied Persian literature at the University Until completion of his PhD His doctoral thesis was a revolutionary and provocative argument: that lover in Persian literature can not be female there are poems that scream they're about young men like Hafez, "[poem]" now imagine, can this be a woman? obvious it's a young man; drunk, bottle in hand, singing and having fun in the same years, he translated Avicenna's treatise and five other essays into Persian but, it wasn't philosophy he had in mind he pursued the study of ancient Persian languages this passion came to him through Ibrahim Pour-Davood Pour-Davood ... he hadn't had formal college education because of this he didn't know how he was supposed to teach but, he had translated the entire Avesta, with the most complete and clearest anotations in the classroom .. firstly, he was the perfect gentleman had the remnants of a Rashti accent, and appreciated satire and jokes too He won a scholarship from Council of British Culture in Tehran in order to continue studies in "Education" once in London, he met Walter Henning Professor of ancient Iranian languages what a genius, Henning was really! his articles ... shall never get old such a deep, precise scholar I was studying Avestan with Henning and with Mary Boyce who later became perhaps the utmost authority on Zartoshti religion she was also teaching me ... what ... Pahlavi language in London, a love that once appeared simple to Yarshater gave him trouble look now what book I had picked: it was a book in the German language Pahlavi text therein had been transcribed in Hebrew translation was in German! I knew neither German, nor Hebrew script, nor Pahlavi this was a third degree equation right away I registered for courses in German.. courses in English [adage] wondering who is more miserable: me or the book? then I got this strange headache and eye-ache finally, in 1953, he chose a topic for his Ph.D. dissertation this study, following up on Henning's work was again a provocative topic: that the ancient language of Azerbaijan had not been Turkish, but a language known as "Tati" my thesis was about the Southern Tati language which has to do with villages around Ghazvin there are five or six dialects for which I recorded the grammer back in Iran he taught ancient Iranian languages language of Darius and Xerxes meanwhile, Columbia University in New York invited him to teach Yarshater accepted Columbia's invitation and went to New York his stay was extended for another year until he returned to Tehran his favorite professor Pour-Davood had retired and Yarshater replaced him but Columbia was calling again then, Columbia University asked me to take over this seat and ... help grow Iranian Studies back in Tehran, Yarshater, with his boundless energy and insatible drive was busy introducing Iranians to cultures and knowledge beyond Iran's borders one was starting the Center for Translation and Publication of Books where important works of world literature were translated into Persian also, a quarterly Book Review here's a list of their latest publications from a 1971 catalogue some of the names whose works had been translated into Persian at this Center: Schiller ... Balzac ... Turgenev ... Shakespeare Gothe ... Oscar Wilde ... Victor Hugo .. Sofokle ... Standhal the list is a long one Ehsan Yarshater was among the first generation of educated, progressive Persian Studies scholars who lead the way in connecting their field to world cultures a generation that included Parviz Natel-Khanlari ... Mohammad Moin ... and Abdol-Hossein Zarrinkoob meanwhile a woman stepped into Yarshater's life a woman named Latifeh, whose memory, like mother's still brings tears to Yarshater's eyes and makes his quivering voice quiver even more my partner was an extraordinary partner: loving ... graceful ... faithful ... I can't think of any good qualities that weren't found in her 1999, when my partner, unfortunately had cancer and passed away now that she's gone, least I can do is to gaze at her pictures once in a while of course it revives my loss, but ... I'm just happy to spend a few comfortable minutes with her memory ... yes eventually he moved to New York later ... he founded the Center for Iranian Studies there he bought Saeed Nafisi's library and donated it to the Center, together with his own in the U.S., Yarshater did what was an opposite and a compliment to his work in Iran meaning: translating classic Persian literature into Western languages and Japanese among the fifty titles published in this series: Divan Hafez' and Khosrow-Shirin into Japanese Beyhaghi Histories and Vis-o-Ramin into English then it was contemporary litrature's turn he published works by Bozorg Alavi, Sadegh Hedayat, and a sampling of modern Persian poetry in Western languages in 1974, with a $2 million grant from the Iranian government the grave work of Encyclopaedia Iranica began after ten volumes, Iranian revolution happened and all work stopped but Yarshater was determined to carry on his perseverance eventually paid off and the United States National Endowment for Humanities agreed to fund the Encyclopaedia New York passes another day into the night but Yarshater is still at work tonight, the annual meeting of Encyclopaedia's Board of Trustees is being held at the University members have come from all corners of North America and Europe but these days, news is not so good in the wake of a global economic crisis Encyclopaedi Iranica which is funded solely by the NEH and individual Iranian donors is not doing so well there's room for regret when a project this grand and this important which comprises our very cultural identity and ... one that represents our collective national memory hasn't been recognized enough to attract Iranians from all over the world .. all these Iranians just in these United States, we have about a million Iranians not to receive even the smallest donations from them Yarshater but just won't give up every day .. every hour .. he is looking for new ways to fund Iranica discussions continue afterwards .. and even during dinner time even just ten thousand of them, each gave $1 a day which won't even buy a cup of coffee these days to Iranica .. right there .. it's more than $3 million a year and it can easily solve all Iranica's financial problems over the past 40 years .. Yarshater has sold some of his own personal art collection to fund Iranica some of these effects are now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York well ... encycloaedia needed money thought to myself: 'for some time now .. I've worked .. I've taught .. I've been paid ... put together a relatively nice collection and brought them to America .. thought to myself: well .. I've enjoyed these for a while ..' as they say: [adage] there's a time to earn .. and a time to spend .. these .. antiques that I have of course .. many belong to the Islamic period like pottery and earth jugs .. and such and all kinds of ewers .. to take these to London .. and auction off these .. altogether .. brought in .. nearly ... $300 thousand .. pardon me .. $3 million dollars $3 million? yes ... came to $3 million Yarshater is about to turn 90 years old in the autumn of life his tremors get worse by the day yet he's a stranger to fatigue and despair he knows Iranica won't be finished anytime soon Iranica must become a permanent endowment because, as yourself just mentioned, new books get published new things get discovered then some people who are alive today and we can't publish their biographies after they pass away, we have to enter these biographies and many of the articles that are being written .. with new defintions .. new discoveries.. must be kept up-to-date, so to speak ever miss Iran? not so much these days reason is .. I've never been away from Iranian works since all my work is related to Iran .. also .. as you know .. home is more than just .. soil valleys rivers mountains and buildings ... it really is culture for me .. home is where there's Persian language .. Persian literature .. Persian poems .. Pers.. culture .. Iranian culture .. and I've never been away from this home how long do you think you'd have to live to finish Iranica? if I live any longer than this I'd be the example in that famous verse: [poem] no .. thank god.. I've lived long enough .. full enough .. and .. whenever I reach the end point I won't be dis-satisfied at all Ehsan Yarshater .. reflection of 70 years of scholarship to know .. and to teach the world .. about a grand and an amazing civilization this project, I dare say, could be the greatest work I've ever seen on art history culture heritage and legacy of us Iranians Dr. Yarshater's personal sacrifice and selflessness .. who has really dedicated all his life to this project be it financially .. as well as his time .. his health .. his whole life if the Book of Kings revived our language .. Persian .. after the Arabs Yarshater has defined our national identity with Iranica these titles they give him .. "Professor" .. is absolutely wrong his breadth of knowledge .. his intellect .. intelligence his command of all areas of Iranian culture ... is such that Ehsan Yarshater can only be called: Ehsan Yarshater by God ... this decison ... in a way ... under an assault of insanity once .. i took on this work .. so as a result .. in the throes of my 90th birthdate .. I find myself working .. between 8 and 9 hours a day .. 365 days a year isn't it insanity then, to start something you know, first, won't finish in your own lifetime? .. then demands you work 8-9 hours every day? .. [stanza]