Sadiq Hidayat (1903-1951) is considered the father of modern Persian fiction. Although his works show a variety of literary forms, he was essentially a short-story writer.

Only since the beginning of the 20th century, because of the development of journalism and the influence of the West, has Persian prose been given the same status as poetry. Sadiq Hidayat contributed greatly to this literary revolution.

Hidayat was born on Feb. 17, 1903, in Teheran, Persia, to an aristocratic family of great landowners from the northern province of Mazandaran. His ancestors gave Persia (especially in the 19th century) many prominent statesmen and men of letters, and his family played an important role during the constitutional revolution of 1906, in this period of confrontation of the past with the new.

Very little is known about Hidayat as an individual, as he preferred to live modestly and in solitude. However, it is known that he...