Introduction

Abstract

Introduction Maria Nikolajeva When did you last read an Iranian children's book? Well, I must admit that I haven't read a single one, ever. But I have seen the beautifully illustrated volumes of the History of Children's Literature in Iran. Visit http://www.payvand.com/news/03/jan/1108.html if you want to see some of the rich illustration material and read about the project itself. Talking to one of its initiators, Mohammad Hadi Mohammadi, during his visit to Stockholm, I became aware of the striking similarities between the questions raised by this impressive endeavor and all the usual dilemmas that Western children's literature researchers meet in their daily work. What is children's literature? When did children start to be regarded as a special group? How have ideological, religious, and educational ideas influenced the emergence and development of children's literature? Are folktales suitable for children? What are the connections between oral folk tradition and children's literature? Thus, although the social and historical conditions for children's literature in Iran may be profoundly different from those in Europe and North America, some indispensable features in the evolution of literature for young readers are the same everywhere. Persian literature has a rich tradition going many centuries back, yet children's literature proper does not emerge until late nineteenth century. Children's literature is always a product of its society and the society's views on childhood. Zohreh Ghaeni's illuminating report is yet another proof of this fact. [End Page 358] Copyright © 2005 Children's Literature Association