Hassan Tofiq, cartoonist of popular satirical magazine Tofiq, dies at 95

TEHRAN –(Iranart)- Cartoonist Hassan Tofiq, who worked for and presided over Tofiq, Iran’s most popular satirical magazine before the Islamic revolution, died of heart failure at a Tehran hospital on Sunday. He was 95.

“Due to a lack of appetite, Mr. Tofiq was admitted to Asia Hospital a few days ago and unfortunately, he passed away from heart failure despite intensive medical care,” cartoonist Hadi Heidari said in a press release.

He was the manager of Tofiq Magazine, founded by his brother Hossein in 1923, for 29 years during the third revival of the satirical magazine that was finally shut down for the last time by the government in 1971.

In 1939, when Hossein Tofiq died, the magazine was closed, but after a brief hiatus, it resumed activities under the leadership of his son Mohammad-Ali. 

Due to its criticism of Iran’s last monarch Mohammad Reza Pahlavi during the 1953 Iranian coup d’état, the magazine was shut down by the government.

After a four-year closure, the magazine was allowed to reopen. It worked under government censorship until the last edition was released in 1971.

Hassan Tofiq’s attempts to reopen the magazine were in vain, therefore he left Iran to live in the United States. However, he returned to his homeland years after living in self-imposed exile in the country.   

Gol Aqa, Iran’s foremost post-revolution satirical magazine established by the late Kiumars Saberi in 1990 was considered as an ideal replacement for Tofiq Magazine by cartoonists and satirists.

source: Tehran Times