Stating that talking through literature is the best way to interact with people in the world, the Iranian cultural attaché in Malaysia announced that the work of "Hamzah Fansuri", the Malay-language poet and writer, will be published in Persian language.

According to the Public Relations of Islamic Culture and Relations Organization, on the sidelines of the second meeting of "Persian Literature Day" and the unveiling of the Malay-language translation of "Saadi Gulistan", Ali Mohammad Sabeghi, the Iranian cultural attaché in Malaysia, stated: "The synopsis of Iranian culture lies in the Persian literature and especially in prominent works such as Saadi Gulistan".

Explaining the Malay-language translation of "Saadi Gulistan" and its audience in South East Asia he stated: "If we consider the Persian language and literature with four pillars, Saadi Gulistan is certainly one of the pillars that has been translated into different languages over the centuries, but so far it has not been translated to Malay language".   

The Iranian cultural attaché added: "The extract of Iranian culture and civilization is presented to various audiences by translating these prominent works into different languages, including the Malay language, to become better acquainted with the rich culture of Iran from the past to the present time".

Sabeghi continued: " Given the position of Saadi Gulistan in Persian literature, it was translated to Malay language by several people from Persian and English versions, and edited by two to three people and published by the Malaysian Islamic Book Publications in a thousand copies".

He expressed hope that the process be continued in the future so that the other works of Persian literature could be translated and published into Malay language.

The Iranian cultural attaché in Malaysia added: "So far, some Persian works especially short stories from the prominent Iranian works have been translated and published in Malay language and some books on Iranian history especially those of the contemporary era have been translated in English language and distributed in Malaysia".

Sabeghi also stated: "One of the works of Hamzah Fansuri, the Malay-language poet and writer, who has used the works of Persian literary figures such as Attar, Saadi and Hafiz is also being translated into Persian".

The Iranian cultural attaché expressed hope that the translation of this work be completed in the next three months so that the necessary measures to publish this work be put on the agenda.

The Translation of "Saadi Gulistan" into Malay Language Is an Important Step to Know the Iranian Literary Works

On the sidelines of the "Persian Literature Day" which was held in the National Library of Malaysia, stating that the translation of prominent works in other languages is important, Muhammad Bukhari Lubis, the professor of the Islamic University of Malaysia, said: "Saadi Gulistan is one of the works that is not limited to a specific geographic area due to its content".

Stating that the translation of this work to Malay language is an important step to know more about Iranian literary works, the university professor added: "Given the richness of Iranian literature, there are many opportunities in this area".

Bukhari Lubis noted: "The transmission of cultural concepts through the translation of books can help nations to know each other and bring them closer together".