Code: 41760 A

Germany to celebrate 200th anniversary of Goethe’s “West-East Divan” in Shiraz

Germany to celebrate 200th anniversary of Goethe’s “West-East Divan” in Shiraz

TEHRAN –(Iranart)- Germany will celebrate the 200th anniversary of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s “West-East Divan” during a festival in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz, home to the mausoleum of Persian poet Hafez who influenced Goethe’s collection.

A number of German scholars have been invited to attend the five-day festival, which will open tomorrow, the Embassy of Germany in Tehran has announced.

German filmmaker Florian Graf Henckel von Donnersmarck, best known for writing and directing the 2006 Oscar-winning dramatic thriller “The Lives of Others”, and director and author Doris Dörrie are among the participating guests. 

Professor Anke Bosse, an expert on “West-East Divan”, and writer and Islamologist Stefan Weidner will also attend the event.

Goethe wrote “West-East Divan”, which contains his poems, notes and essays written under the influence of Hafez’s poetry.

He was familiar with Hafez and his works through his friendship with Austrian Orientalist Joseph Freiherr von Hammer-Purgstall (1774-1856) who provided the first-ever complete translation of the Divan of Hafez into a Western language.

A variety of programs on cinema, arts, theater and literature will be arranged during the festival, which will be organized in collaboration with the Municipality of Shiraz. 

source: Tehran Times

West-East Divan
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