Ahmad Akbarpour ( fa, احمد اکبرپور) ''Ahmad Akbarpūr'' , born July 31, 1970, in
Chah Varz,
Lamerd
Lamerd ( fa, لامرد, also Romanized as Lāmerd and Lāmard, also known as Tarakma) is a city and capital of Lamerd County, Fars Province, Iran. The population was 21,365 with 4,021 families as of the 2006 census. Its main industries are based ...
,
Fars Province, is a
novelist
A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...
and author of short stories and children's books.
Biography
Ahmad Akbarpour was born on 31 July 1970 in
Chah Varz. He got his BA in psychology from
Shahid Beheshti University
Shahid Behesti University ( fa, دانشگاه شهید بهشتی , Dāneshgāh-e Shahid Beheshti) (formerly known as the National University of Iran) is a public research university in Tehran, Iran. The university offers many programs at Bache ...
in Tehran.
Ahmad Akbarpour has started his literary career at the age of 24 by composing poetry. He published his first and only collection of poetry, ''People of the Thursday Evening'', in 1993.
A student of
Reza Barahani and
Houshang Golshiri
Houshang Golshiri ( fa, هوشنگ گلشیری; March 16, 1938''A Hundred Years of Storytelling in Iran'', Amir Abedini, p. 274. – June 5, 2000) was an Iranian fiction writer, critic and editor. He was one of the first Iranian writers to ...
, he soon started writing fiction for adolescents, adopting a postmodern style of writing.
Books
''That Night’s Train'', published in 1999, received the Book of the Year award from Iran's
Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to:
*Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania)
*Ministry of Culture (Algeria)
*Ministry of Culture (Argentina)
* Minister for the Arts (Australia)
*Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan)
* Ministry of ...
. The novel narrates the story of a little girl who recently lost her mother and meets with a teacher during a train trip. This short novel was adapted as a TV film by Hamid Reza Hafezi and later as a movie by Hamid Reza Ghotbi.
Published in 2002, ''Good Night Commander'' was financially supported jointly by
UNICEF
UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...
and Iran's Children’s Book Council. This children's anti-war book tells the story of a maimed child who meets with an enemy toy soldier in his dreams.
Themes
During his career, Akbarpour discussed such topics as fear, loneliness, and peace. In some of his works as ''If I Were a Pilot'', ''Good Night Commander'', and ''Emperor of Words'' he shows his disdain for the destructive impact of war on children.
Translations
''Good Night Commander'' and ''That Night’s Train'' (illustrated by
Isabelle Arsenault) have been published in English by Groundwood Books in the United States and Canada in 2010 and 2012 respectively.
Bibliography
Poetry
Youth books
Short Story
Awards
* Honor list of
IBBY The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) is an international non-profit organization committed to bringing books and children together. The headquarters of the IBBY are located in Basel, Switzerland.
IBBY history
In 1952, Jella Lepm ...
2006: ''The Emperor of Words''
Honour List 2006
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Akbarpour, Ahmad
Iranian male novelists
Iranian novelists
Iranian male short story writers
Iranian children's writers
People from Fars Province
1970 births
Living people