Bozorg Alavi

بزرگ علوی (Known as "Alavi")

Pioneering Modernist Novelist, Political Prisoner, Humboldt Professor

Born 2 February 1904

Tehran, Iran

Passed Away 18 February 1997 Berlin, Germany

Lifespan 93 years old

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"Her eyes held a secret that words could never capture, a mixture of unyielding pride and the sorrow of an entire defeated generation."

Archival Overview

Founding master of modern Persian psychological fiction, member of the 'Group of Fifty-Three', author of the iconic mystery novel 'Her Eyes'.

Biographical Record

Seyyed Mojtaba Bozorg Alavi was born in Tehran and educated in Germany, becoming fluent in German and introducing modern psychological fiction to Iran alongside Sadegh Hedayat. In 1937, he was arrested under Reza Shah as one of the legendary 'Group of Fifty-Three' communist intellectuals, spending four years in the brutal Qasr prison.

Alavi documented prison life in 53 Persons and Scrap Papers from Prison. His 1952 psychological masterpiece, Cheshmhayash (Her Eyes), a romantic and political mystery centered on a portrait of a woman's enigmatic eyes painted by an underground revolutionary artist, became an enduring classic of modern Persian literature. Exiled in East Berlin after the 1953 coup, he taught at Humboldt University for decades.

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Rest in Peace Forever remembered and cherished Your legacy lives on in all of us With deep gratitude for your life and light

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Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial

Dorotheenstadt Cemetery
Berlin, Germany

                         GPS: 52.5300, 13.3800                    

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