TEHRAN-The Persian translation of the book “The Land of the Great Sophy” written by Sir Roger Stevens will be unveiled in Tehran on Tuesday.

The unveiling ceremony, organized by Bukhara Magazine, will be held at the Negarestan Museum Garden, with the translator of the book Ali Mohammad Tarafdari and cultural figures Gholamreza Azizi, Hamed Iranshahi, and Ali Dehbashi in attendance, ISNA reported.

Sir Roger Stevens (1906-1980) was a British academic, diplomat and civil servant. From 1954 to 1958, he served as the British Ambassador to Iran. During that period, despite manifold official duties, he, besides doing much reading, traveled very extensively in the country, setting down his impressions with clarity and care.

The author had called “The Land of the Great Sophy,” a book for those visiting Iran or involved in Persian affairs or interest, without any previous knowledge of Asia or background of Persian history and civilization.

A good introductory section on the land and its people is followed by an outline of Persian history and a reference to Iranian legend, in which Sir Roger Stevens briefly draws attention to the triumph of legend over history. The second part of the book describes in a lively way, various regions of the country and their monuments.

It is abundantly clear from the pages of the author’s narrative that his work was a “labor of love” and his hope that readers’ appetite will be whetted by his account is likely to be fulfilled. 

In addition to “The Land of the Great Sophy” (1962), Sir Roger Stevens wrote “First View of Persia” (1964), and continued to contribute to academic journals on the same subject later in his life.

SS/SAB