Opuscula 19

Hossein Sheiban: ”All in Theft and Black Deeds – With ‘Obayd We Align”. ‘Obayd Zākānī, A Humorist Critic of Religion (2026, 108 s.). ISBN: 978-91-88568-87-8. 120 SEK.

The fourteenth-century Persian poet and writer ‘Obayd Zākānī (ca. 1300–ca. 1370) has been called “The most profound sociologist of his time”. The description is appealing enough. ‘Obayd is remembered and praised primarily for his sharp, humoristic – and at times offensive – comments on moral, religious, social and political issues. Originally a high-ranking administrator in the Mongol Ilkhanate state in Persia (1258–1335), after the dissolution of the Ilkhanate ‘Obayd took refuge at the court of the local governor of Shiraz. Once in Shiraz, he devoted himself to and made a living by producing poetry and prose texts – often, but not always, of a humorous nature. In his poetry, he mastered nearly all traditional Persian poetic genres, and his parody extends also across most of the literary genres in Persian prose. This book examines ‘Obayd Zākānī’s critique of religion and religious authority, analysing both the substance of his criticism and the literary techniques, often deployed in a sharply satirical manner, he employed to convey it.