Letters To My Torturer

HOUSHANG ASADI : Birth : 1950 –Tehran

A journalist, writer, and translator, Houshang Asadi was a member of both the Writers’ Association of Iran and the Iranian Journalists’ Syndicate, and the co-founder of the Association of Iranian Film Critics and Script Writers. Prior to the Islamic Revolution he served for many years as Deputy Editor at Kayhan, Iran’s largest daily newspaper, and was for 12 years the Editor-in-Chief of the country’s largest circulation film magazine: GozareshFILM ( FILM REPORET). He is the author of several novels, plays, and film scripts, and has translated into Persian important works by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Mario Vargas Llosa, and T.S. Eliot.

In 1983, following the Iranian government’s crackdown on all opposition parties, Asadi was arrested and sent to the infamous Moshtarek prison in Tehran. He was kept in solitary confinement for almost 2 years, during which time he was severely tortured until he falsely confessed to operating as a spy for the British and Russian intelligence agencies. His sentence was death by hanging. In the end this was reduced to 15 years imprisonment. He was freed after serving 6 years and eventually escaped Iran in 2003. He now lives in exile in Paris with his wife, where he co-founded the influential Persian-language news website Rooz Online.

Education: B.A in journalism (College of Mass Communication)-    M.S in Literature (Tehran University)

Professional Experiences

2005- 2009: member of editorial desk in Rooz , chif editor of art section

2002- 2004: executive director of GOF(a publicity association)representing the publicity activities: making film, organising the festivals, including the First International Food Festival in Iran, the First International Tourist Festival…

1988 – 2002: chief editor of Film Report, a cinematographic magazine (Gozareshe Film)

1981-7: script writer of movie

1980: play writing for the children, translating children books

1979: chief editor and founder of Aftab magazine

1970- 1978: working in Keyhan newspaper as: film critic, reporter, sub editor, night editor, member of editorial desk

Supplementary Information

Member of:

The Council of the Iranian Writers

Association of Iranian Journalists

Syndicate of Journalists

Association of Film Critics

Association of Screen plays Writers

Member of the juries and the selective committees in some film festivals, including Fajr International Film Festival

Books, Plays

Published :

Bread : 10 short story (published in 1978)

The cat:  roman ( published in 2008)

Ready for publish

The Deer and the People (play for theatre, which went on scene in 1981)

The Lady of Tomorrow (play for theatre, which went on scene in 1982, it is also translated in French)

The Lily Lady (play for the cinema)

Translations from enghlish to farsi:

the family reunion  screen playby t.s. eliot :2008

The General in his labyrinth- roman by G.B. Marquez: 1991

The time of the hero- roman  by  Mario Vargas yosa: 1992

hooasadh@yahoo.fr