Ali-Akbar Dehkhoda
Lexicographer, satirist, and author of the 'Dehkhoda Dictionary,' the largest dictionary of the Persian language (1879–1956).
Read in context →At a glance
- Field
- lexicography, satire, and journalism
- Key work
- the Dehkhoda Dictionary (Loghatnāmeh)
- Satirical column
- 'Charand-o Parand,' signed 'Dakho'
- Other work
- Amsāl o Hekam (proverbs and aphorisms)
Biography
Ali-Akbar Dehkhoda (1879–1956) was a leading figure in Iranian letters, journalism, and politics during and after the Constitutional Revolution. In the newspaper Sur-e Esrafil, his satirical column 'Charand-o Parand' (Stuff and Nonsense), signed 'Dakho,' created a fresh, biting style of social and critical Persian prose that brought everyday vernacular speech into literature. After Mohammad-Ali Shah's coup he was forced into exile in Europe, later entering the Majlis. His greatest legacy is the 'Dehkhoda Dictionary' (Loghatnāmeh), a monumental work to which he devoted decades and which is regarded as the most comprehensive dictionary of the Persian language; he also compiled 'Amsāl o Hekam,' a vast collection of Persian proverbs and aphorisms. A notable nuance is that the dictionary's astonishing scale involved teamwork and posthumous revisions, and its scope and method have been both praised and critiqued among scholars.
Related entities
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Iranica, "Dehḵodā, ʿAli-Akbar"
- Encyclopaedia Iranica, "Čarand parand"
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Ali Akbar Dehkhoda"