TEHRAN-The short story collection “Mysterious Room,” written by the American author and playwright Henry Slesar has been turned into an audiobook in Persian and released on digital services and platforms.

The audiobook has been directed and narrated by Bahman Vakhshour and produced at Avaye Chirok, a major Iranian institute that produces audiobooks, Mehr reported.

The Persian print edition of the book has been translated by Mandana Garshasbi and published by Ghesse Baran Publications.

Henry Slesar wrote more than 40 short stories that were chosen for the classic television show “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”.

Some of the stories in this collection include “Night of the Execution” (1957), “Cop for a Day” (1957), “Party Line” (1960), and “A Crime for Mothers” (1961).

Irony, not suspense, is the key ingredient in the stories by Slesar offered in this collection. For Hitchcock and his writers, irony, not just suspense, was the basis of storytelling, along with its two constant companions: humor and pity.

Henry Slesar (1927-2002) is famous for his use of irony and twist endings. After reading Slesar's “M Is for the Many” in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock bought it for adaptation, and they began many successful collaborations. Slesar wrote hundreds of scripts for television series and soap operas, leading TV Guide to call him “the writer with the largest audience in America.”

In his introduction,n Henry Slesar says, “Hitchcock always appreciated a good joke. He also appreciated a good story. I have never needed a more gratifying commendation than the fact that he liked the ones in this book.”

“Alfred Hitchcock Presents” is an American television anthology series created, hosted, and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. 

By the time the show premiered on October 2, 1955, Hitchcock had been directing films for over three decades. In the 21st century, Time magazine named “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” as one of “The 100 Best TV Shows of All Time”.

The Writers Guild of America ranked it #79 on their list of the 101 Best-Written TV Series. In 2021, Rolling Stone ranked it 18th on its list of 30 Best Horror TV Shows of All Time.

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