Jason Reza Jorjani, PhD, is a philosopher and author of Prometheus and Atlas, World State of Emergency, Lovers of Sophia, Novel Folklore: The Blind Owl of Sadegh Hedayat, and Iranian Leviathan: A Monumental History of Mithra’s Abode.
Here he explains what “novel folklore” is and why it is needed in any authentic renaissance movement. Sadegh Hedayat has sometimes been mischaracterized as an advocate for the restoration of Zoroastrianism in Iran. This discussion of Jorjani’s exegesis of The Blind Owl reveals the much more complex vision that Hedayat had for the evolution of Iranian civilization. The discussion treats questions such as reincarnation, taboos, and social customs.
Many viewers will know that Jason Reza Jorjani has suffered from libel and persecution as a result of his, generally misunderstood, political views. In my view, he is a brilliant scholar who has now been unfairly disgraced and is forced to fight a legal battle, while continuing his research and writing, without any regular employment. Therefore I have set up this “Go Fund Me” page in order to assist this worthy individual. Please visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-fund-jason-reza-jorjani039s-next-project and contribute generously.
(Recorded on January 10, 2020)
Published on February 11, 2020