Persian Literature, World Literature

This chapter first discusses the reasons why the study of world literature in an academic system that lacks a department of Comparative Literature proper and is dominated by a narrow idea of Persian literary history could be problematic. Then, arguing that contemporary cultural/political issues and the rise of exclusionary nationalism are the legacies of Iranian Eurocentric modernization, the significance of world literature as a corrective discourse in the study of literature and culture is emphasized. The chapter also discusses the status of Sadegh Hedayat in modern Persian literature, the reductive simplification of his works in both national and international reception, and the reasons why it is important to revisit his texts to appreciate his sophisticated formal innovations that respond to his peripheral position in world literature.