National Children’s Literature Day in Iran Date in the current year: July 9, 2024
On July 9 (the 18th day of the month of Tir in the Solar Hijri calendar) Iranians celebrate National Children’s Literature Day. The holiday is dedicated to Mehdi Azar-Yazdi, an Iranian children’s writer who is widely considered one of the classics of Persian children’s literature.Azar-Yazdi was born in 1921 in the city of Yazd. At age 23, he moved to Tehran where he worked as a construction worker and a laborer in sock-weaving workshops, later moving on to work in bookshops and publishing houses.
Azar-Yazdi’s literary career started in 1956. His best-known work is Good Stories for Good Children, a collection of works of the classical Persian literature rewritten for children in an easy-to-understand style. It comprises eight volumes based on works such as Gulistan, Qabus-Nameh, Sinbad-Hameh and others, as well as some episodes from the Quran. Good Stories for Good Children won a UNESCO award in 1966 and the Imperial Award for the Book of the Year in 1967.
Mehdi Azar-Yazdi died on July 9, 2009. His death anniversary is now celebrated as National Children’s Literature Day. A literary award was named after him. It is presented annually to the author of the best children’s book in Persian.
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- Iran
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- National Children’s Literature Day in Iran, holidays in Iran, cultural observances, Mehdi Azar-Yazdi