Bijan Ashtari, Translator and Critic, Passes Away
Bijan Ashtari, a translator and critic, passed away at his home this afternoon (June 7).
Mohammad Ali Jafarieh, the director of Saless Publications, stated that Ashtari had been battling cancer in recent years, but his cause of death was announced as a heart attack.
According to cinemadrame News Agency, a post published on Ashtari’s page reads: “Oh, those who left without return… With heavy sorrow and a pained heart, we share the news of the eternal departure of Mr. Bijan Ashtari, a distinguished translator, writer, and journalist, with all dear companions.
He made a lasting contribution to raising awareness and expanding historical knowledge among Persian speakers through his translation and publication of numerous and important works in the field of contemporary history and politics.
Bijan Ashtari began his translation activities in the early 1980s (early 1360s in the Persian calendar) in the field of art and cinema journalism and also worked as a film critic for newspapers for a period.
Over several decades, by translating numerous influential works on contemporary history, political figures, and totalitarian regimes, he became one of the prominent translators in this field.
Among his well-known works are “The Revolutions of 1989,” “Young Stalin,” “Literature Against Tyranny,” “Mao,” “Che Guevara,” “Gaddafi’s Harem,” and “The Aquariums of Pyongyang.”
His translations, with their red covers and narrative-driven style, introduced many readers to the dark and lesser-told aspects of history.
Bijan Ashtari passed away at his home on the afternoon of June 7, 2025 (Khordad 18, 1404 in the Persian calendar), at the age of 64.”
Some of his translated works include “Tim Burton,” “British Cinema,” “Contemporary American Cinema Culture” in two volumes, “Biography of Bill Clinton” and “Biography of Hillary Clinton,” “Gaddafi’s Harem,” “The Commander: Hugo Chávez’s Venezuela,” “Enver Hoxha,” “Stalin’s Daughter,” “Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar,” “Lenin,” “Literature Against Tyranny,” “Manuscripts Don’t Burn,” “Hope Against Hope,” and “Comrade: The Life and Death of Ernesto Che Guevara.”
Furthermore, Saless Publications wrote on their page: “Alas, Bijan… Bijan Ashtari passed away at his home on the evening of June 7. He was born in 1960 (1339 in the Persian calendar) and was one of the most influential translators in Iran over the past twenty-five years. A man who initially had a passion for reading, writing, and history, and in this path translated dozens of important historical and political books.
Ashtari was a symbol of translating historical texts related to communism, totalitarianism, and various forms of dictatorships around the world. Works published by Saless Publications and distinguished by their red covers.
Ashtari wrote film criticism for many years, primarily published in “Donyaye Tasvir” (World of Picture) magazine.
From the mid-2000s (mid-1380s in the Persian calendar), Ashtari began a major project of translating biographies and events related to the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc. Books such as “Lenin,” “Trotsky, Prophet of the Red Revolution,” biographies of Brezhnev, Bukharin, Stalin, Ceausescu, and others were only a part of the works he translated. The translation of “The Aquariums of Pyongyang” opened a new trend for books dedicated to North Korea. Books such as “Hope Against Hope,” “Manuscripts Don’t Burn,” “Literature Against Tyranny,” and “Anti-Soviet Outburst” were only a part of his translations in the field of dictatorships and literature.
His last published work, “Silence as a Weapon,” which dealt with the life and death of Isaac Babel, was released in late February 2025 (Esfand 1403 in the Persian calendar).
His translations have been reprinted many times and continue to be, playing a unique role in “enlightening” new generations of ideology-averse audiences thirsty for history.
Bijan Ashtari was sixty-four years old at the time of his death. Saless Publications extends its condolences to his family and his numerous readers.
The funeral and burial arrangements will be announced soon.
