A Memento on Other People’s Walls

A collection of essays and interviews by Mohammad Mohammadali about prominent figures of contemporary literature, compiled by Bahareh Dehkari.

An excerpt from the preface by Mohammad Mohammadali:

“As its title suggests, the collection A Memento on Other People’s Walls evokes a form of oral literature in general, and a part of oral history in particular, which has a long history in the West.

…What can now be said about this written and oral collection is that, although most of its pages are devoted to the author’s short and long notes on certain views and works of contemporary writers, in its essence, as a kind of reflection, passing glance, and observation, it still falls within the category of memoir.

These writings include some of my notes from thirty years (1987–2017) and, in general, exist alongside and around oral literature, dealing solely with Iranian writers and poets. It is not unlikely that parts of it may not correspond with today’s standards of criticism and commentary. On the other hand, in the question-and-answer section, an effort has been made—through revisiting several memories and to enliven the oral dimension—to update certain personal information.”