Colleague making doc about Iranologist Hassan Anusheh

TEHRAN – Iranian scholar Seyyed Mehdi Hosseini, who collaborated in several research projects with Hassan Anusheh, has said that he is making a documentary about the outstanding Iranologist who died of cancer last week.

“The idea of making a documentary about master Anusheh flashed through my mind in 2016 when I, as a researcher, was collaborating with him on writing ‘Mazandaran Encyclopedia’,” Hosseini told the Persian service of IRNA on Monday.   

“In my meetings with master Anusheh, in addition to what I learned from him about bibliography and writing an encyclopedia, I also genned up on his life that was rarely similar to that of others’, and his unique characteristics propelled me into the idea of making a documentary about him,” he added.

Anusheh first agreed with Hosseini about his plan to make the documentary, but due to his humility, he repeatedly tried to dissuade him from making the film.

“Sometimes, he humbly asked me ‘what is the moral of the film?’ or ‘who am I that you want to make a film about?’” Hosseini noted.

“His unique methodology for research didn’t allow the filming go ahead as usual,” he added.

Nearly a year ago, Anusheh was diagnosed with cancer, and that brought the shooting to a halt.

“However, the illness could never stop him working on his research projects; he had dedicated himself to the history and culture of Iran,” Hosseini mentioned.

“He was at peace in front of the camera… his unique lifestyle and the external and mental serenity coming from his coexistence with books can be the message of the documentary for audiences,” he added.

Hosseini plans soon to complete the documentary, which is still untitled.

Anusheh’s research contributed enormously to several Persian encyclopedias, including the “Shiism Encyclopedia”.

He also translated dozens of books, including George G. Cameron’s “History of Early Iran”, Clifford Edmund Bosworth’s “The Later Ghaznavids” and “The History of the Saffarids of Sistan and the Maliks of Nimruz”, into Persian.

He was also the translator of “The Cambridge History of Iran” that has been authored by a number of scholars such as Ilya Gershevitch, Ehsan Yarshater and Richard N. Frye.  

Photo: Celebrated Iranologist Hassan Anusheh (R) and scholar Seyyed Mehdi Hosseini in an undated photo.

MMS/YAW
Original News : https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/446781/Colleague-making-doc-about-Iranologist-Hassan-Anusheh