TEHRAN – “On the Roads of Persia” (“Putevima Perzije”), a novel by Croatian writer Yasmin Dar on Iran, was introduced on Friday in Zagreb.

Dar, who is also known as Yasmina Mehic, Iranian Ambassador Parviz Esmaeili and dozens of Croatian cultural figures attend a meeting held at the library of the Zagreb municipality to present the novel, the Embassy of Iran announced.

“On the Roads of Persia” was published by the Croatian publishing house Cekape on June 1. Dar has written the novel based on her visit to Iran in 2018. Her visit was focused mainly on Iranian cities such as Tabriz, Isfahan and Shiraz. Accordingly, the novel is somewhat of a travelogue of Iran.

In her short speech at the meeting, Dar called Iran a must-see for everyone and a different country with kind and hospitable people.

She said, “I tried to illustrate what I observed in my visit to Iran in the form of a novel based on what I had read in the Persian literary works produced between the 12th and 17th centuries by Hafez, Sadi, Khayyam, Attar and other great Persian poets.”

Dar also recounted an excerpt of her memories of the visit to Iran and along with Darija Zilic, the editor of the book, answered questions from the audience.

On his part, Esmaeili called the cultural ties a strong bridge between the two nations that would never collapse, and added, “Every book written for the purpose of introducing a nation is a cultural and informational treasure for current readers and those in the future.”  

“Iran is a home to one of the major ancient human civilizations, and Mrs. Mehic’s efforts to introduce Iranian culture and traditions to Croatian readers through her narrative and works of great Persian poets, such as Hafez, Khayyam, Attar and Sadi, are really great and deeply appreciated,” he added.

In the novel, what seems even more important is that travel through Persia leads to an inner journey that opens up many questions about appearance, identity, thinking about the meaning of life and the world in which we live, editor Darija Zilic, who is also a poet, literary critic, translator and an editor of the literary journal Tema, wrote in a preface to the book.

In this dreamy-realistic prose, the author plunges into the depths of her own being through the spiritual character of the Persian poet Hafez, but her narrative is not solely mystical, she added.

Photo: Croatian writer Yasmin Dar (1st R) and editor Darija Zilic (3rd R) talk to the audience in a meeting held at the Zagreb municipality on June 10, 2022, to present her novel “On the Roads of Persia” (“Putevima Perzije”).

MMS/YAW