Ahmad Mahmoud

Who was Ahmad Mahmoud?

Ahmad Mahmoud was an Iranian novelist.

In his youth he worked as a day laborer, driver, construction worker and suffered imprisonment for leftist political views and oppositionist activities. His first story appeared in Omid-e Iran magazine, and in 1959 Mahmoud began publishing collections of stories with Mul.

Other collections followed: Darya Hanuz Aram Ast 1960, Bihudegi 1962, Za'eri Zir-e Baran 1968, Pesarak-e Boumi 1971, and Gharibeh'ha 1972. Modern Persian Short Stories features a translation of his 1969 story "Az Deltangi" from A Pilgrim In The Rain. Hamsayeha appeared in 1974 and gave him immediate status as a novelist.

Dastan-e Yek Shahr was published in 1981. Zamin-e Sukhteh was published in the spring of 1982 in a limited 11,000 copies, with a second printing a year later of 22,000 copies. The three novels are a continuing saga set in Khuzistan during three important periods: The days of nationalization of oil in 1951, the aftermath of the coup d'état which brought the Shah back to the throne in late August 1953, and Iraq's invasion of Iran in 1980.