The first edition of the Persian translation of the book was released in 1977. The English adaptation is known as “The Adventures of Perrine”.

The book tells the story of the charming account of a young orphan girl Perrine Paindavoine making her own way in France as she tries to connect with her grandfather.

Perrine is the daughter of an Anglo-Indian mother, Marie, and a French father, Edmond, who dies in Bosnia at the very beginning of the story. Before dying, Edmond asks his wife and Perrine to return to his hometown, Maraucourt, where Perrine’s grandfather, Vulfran, owns a factory and a family mansion. 

Perrine and her mother run a traveling photo studio in their journey to France. Upon reaching Paris, however, Marie falls ill. Although they sell everything they have to spend on medication, Marie eventually dies. At her deathbed, she reveals that Perrine must not expect a welcome from her grandfather. Vulfran strongly opposed Edmond’s marriage and as such, he detests Perrine.

Hector Malot (1830–1907) was a French writer born in La Bouille, Seine-Maritime. He studied law in Rouen and Paris, but eventually, literature became his passion. He worked as a dramatic critic for Lloyd Francais and as a literary critic for L’Opinion Nationale.

His first book, published in 1859, was Les Amants. In total Malot wrote over 70 books. By far his most famous book is “Sans Famille” (Nobody’s Boy) (1878), which deals with the travels of the young orphan Remi, who is sold to the street musician Vitalis at age 8. “Sans Famille” gained fame as a children’s book, though it was not originally intended as such.

He announced his retirement as an author of fiction in 1895, but in 1896 he returned with the account of his literary life “Le Roman de mes Romans” (The Novel of my Novels).

He died in Fontenay-sous-Bois in 1907.

Among the works that Qazi rendered into Persian is Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra’s “Don Quixote”, French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s “The Little Prince” and Greek author Nikos Kazantzakis’s “Zorba the Greek”.

Also included are “Paulina” by Spanish writer Ana Maria Matute, and “Joao de Tintubal” by French writers Jacqueline Cervon and Michel Gourlier both published by IIDCYA.

Source: Tehran Times