Translator’s Note

It has been my pleasure to translate Sanaz Safari’s book “Les Gōsāns de la triste patrie” into English, under a new title Elegy for the Lost. It is also a matter of great pride and joy, not only to me, but to the publishers to say that Sanaz has been specially honoured for the French version of her book (written under a pen name), by the jury for the “Prix Christiane Baroche”, 2022.

Her book is a compilation of short stories based on real events, stories of courageous men and women who were arrested, beaten, raped, tortured and killed for their fight for liberty and freedom. Sanaz has, with great sensitivity, narrated each person’s story in a realistic and poignant manner. As desired by the author, I have updated and made a few changes in the chapters so that it brings clarity and makes it more readable.

I also take this opportunity to express my gratitude to Jeya, Swapna and Sanaz who went through the text with utmost care and suggested changes; many thanks to Ashis who came up with the meaningful title “Elegy for the Lost”. My appreciation once again to Sanaz, who spent long hours over the phone with me to explain certain nuances of Iranian culture and the situation in Iran. That certainly helped me in my translation and in the decisions I had to take when it came to political and cultural nuances. I hope, in this way, I have reached out to our readers and have made their reading an enriching experience.

It has been a wonderful journey for me to get to know the ethos, the culture and the civilisation of the Iranian people and to understand as well as sympathise with the struggles and travails of the women and the people of this beautiful country.

Alice Anugraham