Samad Behrangi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Samad Behrangi
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| صمد بهرنگی | |
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| Born | June 24, 1939 Tabriz, Imperial State of Iran
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| Died | August 31, 1968 (aged 29) Aras River, Iran
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| Cause of death | Drowning |
| Nationality | Iranian |
| Alma mater | Tabriz University |
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Samad Behrangi (Persian: صمد بهرنگی; June 24, 1939 – August 31, 1968) was a famous Iranian teacher, writer, and social activist. He was known for his children's books, especially The Little Black Fish. His stories often showed the lives of children from poor families in cities. He encouraged young people to take action and change their own lives. Behrangi was also a folklorist, meaning he studied and collected traditional stories and beliefs. He translated many works between different languages.
Early Life
Samad Behrangi was born on June 24, 1939, in Tabriz, a city in Iran. His family was from the working class. His parents were Sara and Ezzat, and he had two brothers and three sisters. His father worked seasonally, which means he didn't always have a steady job. Because of this, his family often struggled financially.
Samad finished elementary school and three years of high school in Tabriz. After that, he went to a special school to become a teacher in rural areas. He finished this program in 1957. At just 18 years old, he became a teacher. He continued teaching for the rest of his life in the East Azarbaijan Province of Iran.
His Career and Writings
For the next eleven years, Samad taught the Persian language in schools in rural parts of Iranian Azerbaijan. While teaching, he also earned a degree in English language from Tabriz University. He started writing and publishing stories in 1960. His very first story was called Adat, which means Habit in English.
He kept writing stories and also translated books. He translated from English and Azerbaijani into Farsi, and also from Farsi into other languages. At one point, he was moved from teaching high school to an elementary school. Later, because of his writings and cultural work, he faced some difficulties and was temporarily stopped from teaching. However, he was eventually allowed to return to his teaching job. He also took part in student protests.
Besides his popular children's stories, Samad Behrangi wrote many essays about teaching and education. He also collected and published many traditional stories and sayings from Iranian Azerbaijani culture. He often worked with his friend Behrooz Dehghani on these folklore studies. Behrooz Dehghani also helped publish some of Samad's works after he passed away. Samad Behrangi also translated some Persian poems by famous poets like Ahmad Shamlou, Forough Farrokhzad, and Mehdi Akhavan-Sales into Azeri.
His Death
Samad Behrangi drowned on August 31, 1968, in the Aras river. There were different ideas about how he died. Some people thought the government was involved. However, an army officer named Hamzeh Farahati, who was with him at the time, later said in his book and in an interview that Samad simply drowned by accident.
Samad Behrangi was buried in the Imamieh cemetery in the Imamieh neighborhood of Tabriz.
See also
- Imamieh
- Tabriz
