The Little Black Fish
The Little Black Fish (Persian: ماهی سیاه کوچولو, Mâhī-ye Sīyāh-e Kūchūlū) is a well known Persian language[1][2] children's book written by Samad Behrangi. The book was widely considered to be a political allegory, and was banned in pre-revolutionary Iran (prior to the 1979 revolution).[3] Other than its notable story, the original illustrations of the book by Farshid Mesghali received the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1974 for his "lasting contributions" as a children's illustrator.[4] Various translations of the book have been published in multiple countries.
Plot[edit]
The story is told through the voice of an old fish speaking to her 12,000 children and grandchildren. She describes the journey of a small black fish who leaves the safety of the local stream to venture into the world.
The path of the little fish leads down a waterfall and along the length of the river to the sea. Along the way, the fish meets several interesting characters, including a helpful lizard and the dreaded pelican.
With both wisdom and courage, the fish travels far and the tale eventually ends with the Little Black Fish setting a lasting example for others.
Translations[edit]
- The Little Black Fish. Classics of Persian Literature. Vol. 2. Translated by Amuzegar, Hooshang. Illustrated by Allison Remick. Ibex Publishers. 1997. ISBN 9780936347783. OCLC 35808282.
- The Little Black Fish. Art and design by Bizhan Khodabandeh. 2011. ISBN 9780615666075. OCLC 855482613.
- The Little Black Fish. Translated by Rassi, Azita. Illustrated by Farshid Mesghali. Tiny Owl Publishing. 2015. ISBN 9781910328002. OCLC 902745489.
Reviews[edit]
- In April 2015, the new translation of The Little Black Fish by Tiny Owl with its award-winning original illustrations got first in David Cadji Newby's top 10 children's books list for The Guardian.[5]
Awards[edit]
- Hans Christian Andersen award for illustrations by Farshid Mesghali (1974)
- First Graphic Prize, Sixth International Children Books’ Fair in Bologna for illustrations by Farshid Mesghali (1969)[6]
- Honorary Diploma, Bratislava Biannual, Czechoslovakia, for illustrations by Farshid Mesghali (1968)
References[edit]
- ^ Bassiri, Kaveh (2018). "Whatever Happened to The Little Black Fish?". Iranian Studies. 51 (5): 699. doi:10.1080/00210862.2018.1480358. S2CID 165186023.
When comparing word counts, all translations of The Little Black Fish are longer than the original Persian, possibly because they have to explain the cultural-specific idioms, or because Persian uses fewer words and its syntax is more flexible.
- ^ Rundle, Christopher, ed. (2022). The Routledge Handbook of Translation History. Routledge. p. 339.
(...) the classic Persian children's story The Little Black Fish by Samad Behrangi (...)
- ^ "The Little Black Fish That Created Big Waves", Negar Esfandiary, BBC Radio 4, 25 August 2011
- ^ "HCAA Winners 1956-2014". Archived from the original on 2015-05-24. Retrieved 2015-05-23.
- ^ "David Cadji Newby's top 10 quests in children's books", David Cadji-Newby 2 April 2015
- ^ Bologna Children's Book Fair 1969.
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