Reflecting on the Human Condition Through Ahmad Mahmoud's Narratives: An Exploration of Social Sufferings

Abstract

The domain of fictional literature is a pivotal and impactful realm within the literary landscape. Scholars note that the inception of the modern Iranian narrative began in 1930 with the works of Sadegh Hedayat, marking the evolution of storytelling into a fundamental literary genre that garnered significant prominence. Despite the extensive literature on Mahmoud, focused and explicit discourse on how his narratives mirror societal suffering has been lacking. This study aims to explore the depiction of societal anguish and hardships as portrayed by Mahmoud, offering a comprehensive and novel analysis. It scrutinizes the multifaceted sufferings of the "contemporary human" as depicted in Mahmoud's literature, dissecting themes such as social and political dilemmas, encompassing superstitions, the plight of women, poverty, addiction, imprisonment, exile, colonialism, and warfare. The findings reveal that misguided beliefs and a lack of faith contribute to the prevalence of superstitions, while the agonies of imprisonment and exile are depicted as perpetual. Mahmoud's works profoundly reflect and articulate the impacts of poverty and addiction. Although the tribulations of women are less highlighted, they are more profoundly explored in the context of maternal hardship. Moreover, colonialism and warfare are depicted in a comprehensive and detailed manner in Ahmad Mahmoud's narratives.