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Prominent Iranian linguist Abolhasan Najafi dies at 86

Friday, 22 January 2016 4:33 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 22 January 2016 4:33 PM ]

Prominent Iranian linguist and translator Abolhassan Najafi dies at the age of 86.

Abolhassan Najafi, a major Iranian linguist, Persian language professor and translator of literary works, has died at the age of 86.

Najafi died in Tehran’s Mehr Hospital around noon local time on Friday, Iran’s semi-official ISNA agency said, adding that he had been suffering from various diseases for a long time.

Working more than half a century on Persian, Najafi was a prominent figure in linguistics and language studies. He was an associate member of Iran's Academy of Persian Language and Literature, a high-profile center officially tasked with safeguarding Farsi against foreign words.

His most famous books, entitled Ghalat Nanevisim (Let’s not write incorrect) was a major guidebook for proofreaders of Persian texts, especially in days the printed media had fewer access to digital sources.

Born in the Iraqi city of Najaf from an Isfahani family, Najafi was a major contributor to the promotion of contemporary writing and speaking, with his small lexicon on slang Persian terms still among the bestsellers.

Najafi’s translations were mostly from French, ranging from novels and stories by Andre Malraux and Romain Gary to criticism and philosophical works by Jean-Paul Sartre.

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