TEHRAN – Renowned Iranian scholar Dariush Shayegan, who was mostly known for his literary, historical and philosophical works such as “Land of Mirage” and “Cultural Schizophrenia”, passed away at Tehran’s Firuzgar Hospital on Thursday at the age of 83.

Earlier in January, he was admitted to the hospital after a massive stroke.

A graduate of Sorbonne University in Paris, he wrote most of his books in French. His novel “Land of Mirage” won him the ADELF award from the Association of French Authors in 2004. 

Shayegan was author of over ten books, including “Cultural Schizophrenia” on the Islamic world and modernity, an English translation of which by John Howe was published in London in 1992.

In 2009, he received the Global Dialogue Prize in Denmark for his “outstanding achievements in the advancement and application of intercultural value research.”

In statements published on Friday in Tehran, a large number of Iranian scholars and officials, including Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Abbas Salehi, have offered condolences over the death of Shayegan.

He is survived by his son, Rahim Shayegan, a professor of history at UCLA. 

MMS/YAW