Shahrestan Adab Cultural Institute
Founded in 2010 by a group of young Iranian poets in Tehran, the Shahrestan Adab Cultural Institute (meaning literally 'Province of Letters') quickly became a center of discovery and promotion of young literary talents.
With an annual program called "Aftabgardan-ha" (the Sunflowers), the Institute is also active in promoting Persian classical and modern poetry especially among male and female youth.
Shahrestan Adab also founded Madresseh Roman (School of the Novel) with the aim of teaching the talents discovered by the institute how to write a novel. The teachers accompany these future authors, step by step, in this fascinating world of Letters.
On the other hand, the publishing house of Shahrestan Adab, specializing in the field of Persian literature, has published, over the past five years, numerous well-known and rewarded works. In 2014, it was awarded the Best Editor of the Year by Hassan Rohani, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Ali Mohammad Moadab, a renowned poet, has been appointed director-general of the Institute since its founding.
Aftabgardan-ha (Sunflowers)
Shahrestan Adab is mainly active in promoting poetry especially among young generation of Iranians, male and female. As early as 2011, the Institute inaugurated an annual Persian poetry program entitled Aftabgardan-ha (The Sunflowers, after the title of a famous poem by Gheissar Aminpour), whose participation is free but reserved for young people less than 25 years.
Aftabgardan-ha offers participants free workshops in poetry, courses in the history of classical Iranian poetry, both directed by professional poets. The program contains three complete stays, enabling students to learn about all aspects of modern Persian poetry.
Every year, the Sunflowers' organizers propose a reading list to the learners which contains the books of Iranian and non-Iranian authors, among them Nazim Hikmet, Ahmed Matar, Mohammad Kazem Kazemi, Morteza Motahari, Jalal Al Ahmad, Qeysar Aminpour and Mehdi Akhavan-Saless.
Besides the courses, Aftabgardan-ha offers a cultural and leisure options: guided tours of the city, film screenings, visiting museums, sports, and much more.
Aftabgardan-ha is run by renowned poet Milad Erfanpour.
School of the Novel
The School of the Novel was founded in 2011 by Shahrestan Adab, with the aim of teaching the talents discovered by the Institute how to write a novel by obtaining a profound knowledge of the novel genre. The professors are Belgheis Soleimani, Hassan Shahsavari and Hamid Shahabadi, three Iranian intellectuals and writers.
After three years of activity, the students wrote about 20 novels, some of which has been published during the Tehran International Book Fair in May 2017.
The director of the School is Ali Asghar Ezatipak, a novelist and literary critic.
Publishing house
Sharestan Adab Publishing house is the editorial department of the Institute. Since its foundation in 2011, several books have been published, most of which have received awards and nominations nationally.
At the 28th edition of the Tehran International Book Fair in 2014, Shahrestan Adab was awarded the Best Editor of the Year by Hassan Rohani, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
With 150 books divided into 3 different collections, namely fiction, literary research, and poetry, this publishing house aims to welcome, advise and guide its talented authors in this exciting creative process.
Literary Awards & Nominations
Iran's Book of the Year Awards
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"Delhi was a Star" by Morteza Amiri Esfandagheh (Nominated)
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"Galaxy of Faces" by Ali Mohammad Moaddab (Nominated)
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"Muslim Florist" by Majid Saadabadi (Nominated)
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"Converse Words" by Mohammad Reza Tahmasbi (Praiseworthy)
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"A Garden Surrounded by Passions" by Alireza Rajabalizadeh Kashani (Praiseworthy)
Fajr Poetry Festival
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"Muslim Florist" by Majid Saadabadi (Winner)
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"Sunset expected to be born" by Kobra Moussavi Ghahfarrokhi (Winner)
Jalal AL Ahmad Literary Award
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"Being in Love in the Manner of Van Gogh" by Mohammadreza Sharafi Khaboushan (Nominated)
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"Bookless" by Mohammadreza Sharafi Khaboushan (Winner)
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"The fixed time" by Mehdi Kaffash(Nominated)
Holy Defense Year Book Award
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"The Song of Ababil" by Majid Pourvali Kolashtari (Nominated)
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"Long Song" by Ali Asghar Ezatipak (Nominated)
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"Everything is Black in Africa" by Sassan Nategh (Nominated)
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"Deylamzad" by Mohammad Roudgar (Winner)
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"Feast of Blood" by Ali Mohammad Moaddab (Nominated)
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"Put Your Name in the Middle of this Poem" by Mohammadreza Sharafi Khaboushan (Nominated)
Seasonal Book Award
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"Varanasi in the Morning" by Alireza Ghazveh (Winner)
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"Instants Stay Behind" by Yussef Ghojogh (Winner)
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"Varmashour" by Morteza Amiri Esfandagheh (Praiseworthy)
Iranian Golden Pen Awards
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"Crimson Coal" by Seyed Hossein Hosseini Arsanjani (Nominated)
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"Instants Stay Behind" by Yussef Ghojogh (Nominated)
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"Sunset expected to be born" by Kobra Moussavi Ghahfarrokhi (Praiseworthy)
Shahid Avini literary Prize
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"Muslim florist" by Majid Saadabadi (Winner)
Shahid Ghanipour Award
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"The Song of Ababil" by Majid Pourvali Kolashtari (Nominated)
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"Being in Love in the Manner of Van Gogh" by Mohammadreza Sharafi Khaboushan (Nominated)
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"Instants Stay Behind" by Yussef Ghojogh (Nominated)
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"1001 Feasts" by Mohammad Mahmoudi Nourabadi (Nominated)
Ghazal Year Book Award
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"Sunset expected to be born" by Kobra Moussavi Ghahfarrokhi (Winner)
First-step Literary Award
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"Deylamzad" by Mohammad Roudgar (Winner)
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"Thatched Silence" by Reza Sheybani Asl (Winner)
Seven Regions Literary Award
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"Everything is Black in Africa" by Sassan Nategh (Nominated)
The Revolution Story Festival
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"Deylamzad" by Mohammad Roudgar (Nominated)
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"Muslim florist" by Majid Saadabadi (Winner)
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"Regicide" by Ebrahim Akbari Dizgah (Praiseworthy)
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"Year of the Wolf" by Javad Afhami (Praiseworthy)
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"The little Prisoner" by Seyed Hossein Hosseini Arsanjani (Winner)
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"Meeting in Myansi" by Mehdi Kord Rajayi (2nd place)
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"Seventh Dakhil" by Mohammad Roudgar (3rd place)
Student Book of the Year
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"A Garden Surrounded by Passions" by Alireza Rajabalizadeh Kashani (Winner)
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"Deciduous" by Amir Ali Soleimani (Praiseworthy)
Khatam Festival
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"Ghaf (An Account of the life of Prophet Muhammad (s) based on three Persian classical texts)" by Yassin Hejazi (Praiseworthy)
Celestial Art Festival
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"Seventh Dakhil" by Mohammad Roudgar (Winner)
Razavi Literary Festival
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"Seventh Dakhil" by Mohammad Roudgar (Winner)
Eshragh Festival
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"Meeting in Myansi" by Mehdi Kord Rajayi
Tolou'e Khordad Festival
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"Meeting in Myansi" by Mehdi Kord Rajayi