Buna Nameh

Impressions from spending three months in Iran after an absence of 25 years

by buna
19-Aug-2008
 
I had not been to Iran for 25 years. My father said I should come visit. So I went and spent the summer there. This handwritten travelogue is dedicated to him, the Best Father in the World. I hope you pardon my bad Farsi and the mistakes in my writing... I never went to an Iranian school and I learned Persian on my own. -- Buna
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This is incredible!!

by Farshad-jon (not verified) on

This was one of the most touching story I’ve ever read in Iranian.com in the past ten years. Truly amazing and well organized!!

By the way, I usually spend one-two hours of my paid work to come and look at the articles here. This number jumped to six-seven hours for the past two days.

Two things are going to happen soon:

1- Company gets bankrupt
2- I will get fired due to lack of productivity for coming to Iranian.com

Either way, I loose my job.

JJ, If I get fired, I will sue you for sure!!!

Just kidding, but this one worth spending time for it!!


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Why fake hand writing?

by XerXes (not verified) on

I really liked it, but was upset to find out that the guy is faking his hand writing. Look at the end and you can see that he can write and draw perfectly! I have also noticed that he has mis spelled words on purpose!

Thanks anyway. I loved it.


sima

Splendid

by sima on

Buna khan dastmarizad. This is truly splendid.

Do you know Roberto Bolano? If you don't make sure you read The Savage Detectives. You will find a true kindred spirit. He is a stupendous writer and by many accounts the most important Latin American writer of our generation. He is just being discovered in the U.S.

Your journal is the most touching thing I've read since Bolano. That is saying A LOT.

And, yes, if Bolano had not made it so big in Europe, Random House or the like would never publish him the U.S. either. Until recently only New Directions, which is a very small fish in the publishing world, published him the US or UK.

 

I don't know why I wrote that!


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From an Iranian-Assyrian

by Rami Yelda (not verified) on

Buna,
Avet bassima qa ktavtukh baset Iran, baset khayutukh ou Suryayet Iran. Itli iqara biyukh qat misset khatvet hadda.
Rabi Addai Alkhas savunukh wa? Marduk babukh wa?


Niki

Great stuff

by Niki on

I love this, though i have yet to finish it. Somehow--and this by no means takes away from how much i like this piece so far--it seems that the author actually speaks and writes excellent persian, but that he is writing as though he doesn't (you know as a stylistic and creative choice). Maybe i am wrong about that, and it doesn't really matter either way, it is quite charming whatever the case may be.


Jaleho

F.A.N.T.A.S.T.I.C.!!!!

by Jaleho on

THE BEST thing I have read in Iranian.com!

And please, don't compare with Marjan Satrapi's opportunistic GARBAGE just becasue it has some cartoons!

 

Best luck.


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Love it! I am still reading

by Mitra from khuzistan (not verified) on

Love it! I am still reading it back and forth sveral times. I am smilling the whole time. This is original! I felt like I was there too.


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Buna yasha, min yasha

by Azerbaijani Turk (not verified) on

I opened it up just befor going to bed, thinking I am gonna just take a quick look at its drawings and ohhhh I was hoookked,,, I have a meeting tomorrow but stayed up and read it. It was so worth it. You even had a fun touch to the ending of ""Bir Iki, Bizim ki"" song (Nursery rhyme.

chox gozelidi, Yashasin Buna


Sasan Seifikar

Behrang, open you heart and give your old man another chance

by Sasan Seifikar on

Page 58 (116-117) is very powerful, it reads:

Bad father

I became an addict before the revolution and I was the worse father in the world. I quit and left behind 4 things after the year 2000, my wife, my son, drugs and the US. I went to Europe and until now I have been trying to become a (decent) human being. My son, by right, for years had no contact with me and hated me, until a few years ago when I was able to establish correspondence between us. He still has not forgiven me, and the things that I did were unforgivable. For every 10 e-mails that I send him, he sends me a short one in return. Last week for the first time I received two long letters from him. The letters were both full of pain and questions, I was stuck and having a hard time formulating a response to them.

Two days ago I was sitting in front of the computer for a long time. I was writing Behrang (my son) a long letter. My father asked me: what are you doing? I told him that I was writing a letter to Behrang (my son). He said: you should know this that I love you the same way and as much as you love your son. I told him: I love Behrang a lot, but until we are close and friends, it means nothing.


Aref-Adib

Just amazing!

by Aref-Adib on

I loved Buna Nameh. I'm sure I'll be back to read it again and again.  It's amazing and there is no "VALI" after it!


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Whata a Great Book

by 1dariushagha (not verified) on

I REALLY ENJOYED THIS SAFAR NAMEH..I LOVED IT. THANKS FOR SHARING.


Asghar Taragheh

Very Cool!

by Asghar Taragheh on

Thanks for doing this in simple Farsi. I left Iran when I was 9 (4th grade) and I could read it with no problem. My Favorite part was the Soosk prior to the revolution and the Soosk after the revolution. Very Funny! Thanks!!!


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refreshing

by j (not verified) on

brilliant, creative, spontaneous and refreshing masterpiece! please publish it!

i can tell you're a true musician at heart :) would love to have a drink or two next time you're in san francisco area!

wish you lots of happiness...


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محشره! حال کردم

نانام (not verified)


محشره! حال کردم


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Hilarious

by unregistered (not verified) on

I send a comment earlier today that was not posted either. All it said was "Hilarious, very hilarious". That sums up my opinion about this travelogue. It's a minimalist comment but it goes to the point. I don't see why it was not posted. Are comments supposed to be more comprehensive to be posted? Where is the policy to delineate such a requirement? And if they are supposed to be more comprehensive, then I also send a comment for Azadeh Azad's blog "The Eighties" that was not posted. There was no profanity or derogatory, or insulting content in it. Why was it not posted?

I do not like this dual policy about register and unregistered posting. I prefer all comments to be posted by registered users only, but if unregistered users are allowed to post comments I don't see a reason to be registered. The only thing that remains is why some innocent comments are not posted? Is it to weed out some users? Is this the way to promote democracy?

*****

This travelogue is hilarious, very hilarious.


Majid

It took me couple trips

by Majid on

It took me 2-3 times back and forth visits to Iranian.com before I finished it.

All I can say is, I'M SPEECHLESS!!


Nasrin Sasanpour

Unsurpassed!

by Nasrin Sasanpour on

Wow . . . .! This is brilliant; a masterpiece in works . . . .
Bravo Buna, the simplicity yet sophistication of your writings &
drawings are magnetizing.

Beautifully done; please write more & often. Thank you.


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wonderful writings

by Haloo (not verified) on

very inspiring I really enjoyed it and i spent 3 hrs of my paid work hrs reading it back and forth, hope i dont get in to trouble for that .


IRANdokht

what a pleasure to read

by IRANdokht on

I must admit I was skeptical at first, but you won me over! absolutely brilliant: so many well placed jokes, so telling, candid, beautiful.

Thanks for publishing this one JJ. Great job Buna.

IRANdokht


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The hell with Marjan

by Anonymous---- (not verified) on

The hell with Marjan Satrapi's politicized nonsense. This is very different. And Random House will never publish anything remotely like this.


Ali P.

Brilliant!

by Ali P. on

Absolutely adorable! Bravo! Your Dad is proud of you, I'm sure!


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Buna Jaan e Man

by AnonymousLoveBuna (not verified) on

Ashegh e sabk e kaar e shoma shodam Aziz,
Dastet dard nakoneh, ham Farsi, Azari, Ashuri (Arami) va Inglisi (English)hamrah ba naghaashi-haye kheyli ziba, cheh kaar baarez va motefaaveti aafaridi. Sad Aafarin, Farsi shoma ham besyaar khoob va khaanast, Dastet ro az door mi boosam, hamisheh Shad o Khurram bashi aziz, dar har koja ke hasti. Ghorbaneh harchi Ashuri-Irani, Agar dar Turlock hasti, ba azizan Ashuri-Irani be jaaye man khalvat kon. Omidvaram yek rooz hamehye shoma azizan va aghaliat be asaani be Iran az harkoja ke hastin safar konid.

Much Love,

Yek Doost va Ashenaa


Aa Metti

You Should Publish This

by Aa Metti on

Bro,

This is one of the best posts I've seen in a long time. You should publish this. Do not type write it. Publish it as is with the hand-writing and drawings.... I'd be the 1st one to buy the book....

Very creative

Damet Gooli

 

 


Jahanshah Javid

Love at first sight

by Jahanshah Javid on

This is the stuff publishers die for: Originality, honesty, wit... It's just brilliant. There are similarities with Marjane Satrapi's illustrated diaries. The difference is Buna's wonderful self-made Persian writings and sketches along with his boyish charm. Won't be surprised if these pages get published into a book one day. If not, the pleasure will all be iranian.com's :o)

Thank you Buna!