TEHRAN-The well-known veteran translator Lili Golestan will unveil her new translation of the famous novella “The Little Prince” written by French author Antoine de Saint Exupery on Friday at the Iranian Artists Forum in Tehran.

Gahgah Publications has published the book with illustrations by the celebrated veteran artist Noureddin Zarrinkelk, Mehr reported.

First published in 1943, “The Little Prince” has been translated into 300 languages and dialects, selling nearly two million copies annually. With a total sale of over 140 million worldwide, it has become one of the best-selling books ever published. 

In Iran, the first translation of the book was published in 1954 by renowned translator and writer Mohammad Ghazi. Since then, about 130 other translators have rendered the book into Persian. Notable translators of the book include Abolhassan Najafi, Ahmad Shamlou, Abbas Pejman, Kaveh Mirabbasi, Delara Qahraman, Media Kashigar, Parviz Shahdi, and Mostafa Rahmandoust.

The novella is about a little prince who lives in a faraway asteroid with his rose. One day he comes to Earth where he meets an aviator, a fox, a snake, and some strange people.

Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944) was a French aviator and writer whose works are the unique testimony of a pilot and a warrior who looked at adventure and danger with a poet’s eyes. 

Equally loved by children and adults alike, “The Little Prince” is one of the most translated books on the planet. With wonderful and whimsical illustrations by the author, the delightful tale straddles a world between adulthood and childhood, philosophy and fantasy, satire, and fable.  

“The Little Prince” draws unflattering portraits of grown-ups as being hopelessly narrow-minded. In contrast, children come to wisdom through open-mindedness and a willingness to explore the world around them and within themselves. The main theme of the fable is expressed in the secret that the fox tells the little prince: “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly: what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

Globally, linguists have compared the many translations and even editions of the same translation for style, composition, titles, wordings, and genealogy. As an example: as of 2011 there are approximately 47 translated editions of “The Little Prince” in Korean, and there are also about 50 different translated editions in Chinese.

The book has been adapted to numerous art forms and media, including audio recordings, radio plays, live stage, film, television, ballet, and opera.

Golestan, 79, studied dress and textile design at the Decorative Art Institute of Paris and the same time attended classes on world art history and French literature at La Sorbonne.

“Nothing, and So Be It” by Oriana Fallaci was her first translation, which was published in 1967. The book was received well and encouraged her to translate more novels. She has since translated more than 30 books including “Chronicle of a Death Foretold,” and “The Fragrance of Guava,” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, “Six Memos for the Next Millennium,” and “If on a Winter's Night a Traveler,” by Italo Calvino, “Remarks on Color,” by Ludwig Wittgenstein, “Story Number 3,” by Eugène Ionesco, “Life with Picasso,” by Françoise Gilot, and “Tistou of the Green Thumbs,” by Maurice Druon.

Zarrinkelk, 86, is an animator, concept artist, editor, graphic designer, illustrator, layout artist, photographer, scriptwriter, educator, and sculptor.

He studied pharmacy at University of Tehran and holds a PharmD. Then he studied animation film in the Belgium Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Raoul Servais) from 1969 to 1972.

Known as the father of animation in Iran, he founded the first school of animation, which later merged with the prestigious Faculty of Fine Art of the University of Tehran. Zarrinkelk continued being a professor of animation and graphic arts well into his retirement age.

Since 1971, Zarrinkelk has been a jury member of various international animation festivals and illustration biennials. He was elected as the president of the Association International du Film d'Animation (ASIFA) by his peers in 2003.

SS/