Writer Moradi Kermani’s autobiography in French

Candle & Fog, a publishing house in Tehran and London, will unveil the French rendering of the title ‘You’re No Stranger Here’ written by eminent Iranian author Houshang Moradi Kermani at the Paris Book Fair, March 16-19.

The publisher Afshin Shahneh-Tabar said the French translation, with the title ‘Vous N’êtes Pas Sans Savoir’ in French, is by Mithra Farzad.

Born in Iran, Farzad currently lives in France and teaches English language at the University of Paris-Sud.

An autobiography, ‘You’re No Stranger Here’ was released in Persian in 2005 by Moin Publication in Tehran, and its English version was translated by American translator Caroline Croskery in 2016.

The book contains the many true stories Moradi Kermani experienced and later became the inspiration for his works. With a father who suffers from mental illness and a mother who dies in his infancy, young ‘Hooshoo’ is challenged at a very early age to overcome emotional strains and find his true identity.

His love for reading and writing becomes his tool for survival through the pains of his unusual childhood. He spends a blissful and nostalgic youth in the village before moving to the city in his adolescence. Every experience and hardship he goes through in the city of Kerman, his hometown in the province by the same name, impacts his destiny and leads him to the place in life he knew he was meant to reach.

The book ends with his statement about life that, regardless of pain and affliction, is joyful and precious. The joy of being able to read and write, finding family and friends, walking under the sun, and hearing the birds chirp,” Amazon wrote about the book.

Moradi Kermani, 72, is best known for children and young adults’ fiction. His most popular books include ‘Tales of Majid’, ‘The Boot’, ‘Cucumber’s End’, ‘The Tale of That Vat’ and ‘Believe it or Not’.

Some of his books have been translated into English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Arabic and Armenian. For his lasting contribution as a children’s writer, he was a finalist in 2014 for the biennial International Hans Christian Andersen Award, the highest recognition available to creators of children’s books.

Moreover, some of his books have been rendered into popular local movies and television shows. The TV series ‘Tales of Majid’ is the most well-known of his shows among Iranian children and adults.