Sending a substantial volume of works to the Festival of Raḍawī Book of the Year Selection is an indication of the credibility of the festival

Sending a substantial volume of works to the Festival of Raḍawī Book of the Year Selection is an indication of the credibility of the festival
Fereshteh Sedaqat Hasanzadeh: For a long time Mahmoud Pourwahhab has been a familiar name for Iranian children; since the time he used to write in “Salām Bachchih-hā” [a monthly children magazine] up to now that his Khudāwand-i rangīnkamān (The Lord of the Rainbow) and Bā parastūhā-yi shād (With Glad Swallows) are a companion of school children in Persian textbooks. He is the writer and poet of children’s and adolescents’ books, who begun his formal activities with “Salām Bachchih-hā” in 1369/1990 at the age of 29. He was so competent in this field that his first long story Sidāyi zulāl-i Bilāl (Bilāl’s Transparent Voice) was awarded as “Book of the Year”. Some of his 130 books, which brought him such honors as being awarded in several editions of the Book of the Season Festival, National Children and Adolescents Festival, Vilāyat Festival, Education Festival, etc. are as follows: Sidā-yi sāz-i bārān (Sound of Rain Melody); Imām-i gulhā (Imam of Flowers); Pur az bū-yi gulābī (Filled with the Scent of Pear); Mihrabānī hāyat rā qismat kon (Share your Kindnesses); Qiṣṣa hā-yi khaylī qashang (Very Beautiful Stories); Mardī ki asrār āsimānhā rā midānist (The Man who Knew the Secrets of the Sky); Kīsa-yi sikkeh hāyam kū (Where is my Bag of Coins?); and Qiṣṣa-yi mard-i tanbal (The Story of the lazy Man).
Mahmoud Pourwahhab has been in charge of the judgment and secretariat for the Children and Adolescents Literature and Press Festival. Besides his various books, nearly one hundred of his articles in the field of critique and review of poetry of children’s poets have been published and some of his books have been translated into English and Russian, too. At present, he is the chief of Child and Adolescent Publications Bureau of Qum Islamic Propagation Office, literature director of “Doust” periodicals, and the member of the Poetry Council of Children and Young Adults Intellectual Training Center. Selection of his latest novel, Malakhhā-yi gurusneh (Hungry Grasshoppers) from among his ten-volume collection of Imam Kāẓim’s (A.S.) stories in the Ninth International Festival of Raḍawī Book of the Year Selection and winning the third award in superior book pivoting on children and adolescent prompted a chance to interview with this competent writer of our country on the sideline of this festival; a sincere interview with Mahmoud Pourwahhab, who speaks in a calm voice and does not fail to smile even for a moment:
Mr. Mahmoud Pourwahhab! Tell us about your latest book. What advantage do you thing it had for being awarded?
Malakhhā-yi gurusneh is a volume of a ten-volume collection of Imam Kāẓim’s (A.S.) stories. Honestly, I myself felt that this story was a better work since it had the capacity to turn into a story and it was more attractive to the reader. That was why, I think, the judges selected it from among the ten collections. This shows that the judges studied the works carefully, which implies the soundness of their judgment.
Well done! You have other works concerning Ahl al-Bayt, too. Why did you choose working on children and adolescents? And why doctrinal?
I also have books on other subjects, but actually most of my works are doctrinal. Perhaps it is because of my presence in Qum and my interaction with my friends among the clergymen. Since I mostly work on poetry, my friends ask for my assistance here and, in turn, I enjoy the good libraries in the Propagation office in the vicinity of the Mausoleum of Ḥaḍrat Ma‘ṣūma (S.A.) and the help of my ṭalaba (religious student) friends. As for children literature, about 24 years ago, I felt the necessity of working in this field. Many people would write for the adults but few people would work for the adolescents who were as young trees that needed more care.
So, after such a long background of working for the adolescent, what should be done for deepening the Raḍawī culture in the society and especially among the adolescents who, as you say, are like young trees?
Well, we are one part of the task. Not everything is on the shoulder of the writer, but the part that is related to us is not underachieved. We have very good doctrine-writers. Children and adolescent literature is almost a newly-established trend. From among those who write doctrinal works for the children and adolescents, there are some who are well-known and work well. I think children and adolescent doctrinal literature has been fruitful and has kept its addressees satisfied; however, the fact is that most of the organs and publishers are more concerned with quantity than quality. Writing a good work requires time and the publisher has to pay for the expenses. For instance, imagine I demand six months time for composing an excellent new work. Research needs to be done along doing a doctrinal work. You should see the sources so as, for example, to find out that such and such ḥadīth is not a fabricated one.
Apart from these, the procedure should be updated. Every generation has basic differences with the previous generation. Besides, language would also change in itself and the styles would renew. One can work on modern fantasy; or a model that connects the play to the body of the story. One should both refresh the perspective angle and give a newer form and a modern language to works so that they can connect to their addressees and convey the message to him.
What are the works written so far concerning the Ahl al-Bayt like?
Much work has been done, but the stories written are usually very linear and straight! Too much work is not a good reason at all; perhaps it is our weakness too that there are too many works done and only ten or five percent of them are done well. These are what will remain in history. Someone will review them in the future and see what weak works have been done during this era!
You said there are some writers who have worked well in children and adolescent doctrinal literature. Can you name some of them?
Mr. Sarshar’s works are good in terms of logics and sanad (chain of transmission of ḥadīth). Mr. Majid Mulla Muhammadi also works well in the field of children and adolescents. So also are the works of Ms. Tahereh Abid both for children and adolescents, Mr. Naser Naderi, Mr. Mustafa Khuraman, etc.
Mr. Mulla Muhammadi was among the award winners of previous editions of this festival. Do you know other works awarded in previous years?
I know some friends and I am informed about some works. Mr. Hamid Reza Shahabadi’s I‘tirāfāt-i ghulāmān (Confessions of Slaves) was awarded in previous years in this festival and it was a very good selection. It is interesting to know that I was a judge in another festival and I had selected the same book by Mr. Shahabadi. It is a book that is both good for the adults and suitable for the adolescents. These people are outstanding in doctrinal field.
You have had the experience of being the director and judge in different festivals. From this perspective, what do you think of Raḍawī Book of the Year Selection?
It is a credible festival. Let me say this way: it is very good that this festival identifies such books; a great number of books and all on one subject! For several years I was the director of Salam Festival and we had to go to the book market and procure the books. That is why I know procuring a large volume of books published on one subject in one year is not a simple job at all, particularly, as we are not informed about the writers and publishers in different cities.
There are some books that are also received by the festival through summons. These are investments. This volume of books will uplift the validity of this festival as well as the library to which the books are finally transferred. On the other hand, the more credible the festival, the more confident the publisher is to participate in. I have been the director of 13 festival editions and have judged in different places. I know places where the festival is not credible to the publishers and they are not certain about their judgments, so they do not participate in it. The fact that this large volume of works are sent to the Festival of Raḍawī Book of the Year Selection, shows that this festival is credible to the publishers. One aspect of the credibility is its judgment and the other is the awards. The awards should not be underestimated.
If after having written 130 books and acquired so much experience, Mahmoud Pourwahhab wants to write for Imam Riḍā (A.S.) again, what book does he see missing? (When I finish my question, he answers without any intellectual gesture and in a concerned and excited tone):
    I have studied works done about Imam Riḍā (A.S.). Accidentally, some time ago one of AQR’s departments asked me to give them the work I had already done for publication, but I found the work was weak, that is to say, it was repetitive and other friends had done the same; so I preferred not to have it published. It is too hard [to answer], because many works have been done. When you are working for the children and adolescents, you cannot work on all subjects. It has to be understandable for them and useful in their everyday life. Writing for the Infallible is very difficult. Some would take it very easy.
I understand! Since you are thoroughly acquainted with this subject, you understand its profundity and importance much better.
You know! Some stories have become very repetitive and are always narrated in a straightforward style. Besides changing the perspective, the information needs to be changed, too. We must study more about His Holiness and extract more intact points from his doctrinal knowledge. As I said, enough time is to be spent. The publisher should give financial help and the writer should look at the subject from a new perspective. If you tell me, “we want to publish a book for Imam Riḍā (A.S.)”, I say I can’t. Because you have to be very careful; you should sit and think well with a different insight…