TEHRAN-The Candle & Fog Publishing House has released the book “Mullah Nasreddin” in English.

Caroline Croskery has translated the book that has been illustrated by Alireza Goldoozian, IRNA reported.

Mullah Nasreddin is a character commonly found in the folklores of the Muslim world, and a hero of humorous short stories and satirical anecdotes. There are frequent statements about his existence in real life and even archaeological evidence in specific places, for example, a tombstone in the city of Akşehir, Turkey. At the moment, there is no confirmed information or serious grounds to talk about the specific date or place of Nasreddin's birth, so the question of the reality of his existence remains open.

Nasreddin appears in thousands of stories, sometimes witty, sometimes wise, but in many of which he is presented as a fool. A Nasreddin story usually has a subtle humor and a pedagogic nature.

The Nasreddin stories are known throughout the West Asia and have touched cultures around the world. Superficially, most of the Nasreddin stories may be told as jokes or humorous anecdotes. They are told in the teahouses and caravanserais of Asia and in homes and on the radio. But it is inherent in a Nasreddin story that it may be understood at many levels. There is the joke, followed by a moral and usually the little extra which brings the consciousness of the potential mystic a little further on the way to realization.

Caroline Croskery is an American Persian-to-English translator of contemporary Persian literature from Iran’s most eminent authors. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of California at Los Angeles in Iranian Studies where she graduated with honors. For many years, she has been active in three fields of specialization: language teaching, translation and interpretation, and voiceover acting.

Caroline lived in Iran for 13 years between 1985 and 1998, where she taught English and also translated and dubbed Iranian feature films into English. After returning to live in the United States, she began a career as a court interpreter and translator of books from Persian into English. She is an accomplished voiceover talent, and currently continues her voiceover career in both English and Persian.

Candle & Fog publishing house seeks to bring to the attention of the international world a selection of best-selling novels and stories that hitherto have only been available in Persian – a literary selection that opens a whole new hidden world to readers in English.

These works provide a unique insight into the history that has shaped the extraordinary country of present day Iran. They open a window onto a culture which has remained a mystery to many in the western world.

The narratives cover a wide range of topics, from contemporary domestic issues to the role of women in the society; from the bloody conflicts that darkened historic Persia’s landscape to a medieval mystic’s quest for enlightenment.

The poetic nature of the Persian language is well-suited to literature; its compelling rhythms lend a haunting quality to the stories that linger long after the books have been read. For readers unfamiliar with Iran, the perspective that these books bring to its cultural life, both past and present, should help to develop an understanding and a greater tolerance of the differences that sometimes divide us.

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