A Glance at Persian Literature

Asefeh Asefi was born in Tehran in the early 1920s (1300s SH). After completing her primary and secondary education, she studied French language and literature at the University of Tehran. She later went to France, where she studied education and received her PhD in 1962. Upon her return to Iran, she taught at the Higher Teachers’ Training College as well as at two or three other faculties. In 1967, she founded the Parents and Teachers Association in Iran and became the editor-in-chief of the association’s journal, Maktab-e Mâdar. During the 1950s and 1960s, she translated, authored, and published numerous articles, booklets, and books on methods of educating children and adolescents at home and at school.

One of the institutions where she taught was the Qazvin School of Higher Administrative and Commercial Sciences. In 1973, she wrote a book titled A Glance at Persian Literature for this institution. Consisting of fourteen chapters, the book surveys Persian poetry and prose—largely through prominent literary figures from various periods, from ancient times to the modern era. Thanks to the author’s literary taste and her mastery of methodology, the book serves as an engaging and highly suitable introduction and gateway for acquainting a broader audience with Persian literature.