TEHRAN -- The literary bimonthly Bokhara held a ceremony marking the publication of the 200th edition of the Iranian monthly “Satire and Cartoon” on August 6 at the Iranian Artists’ Forum.

The event was attended by Ali Dehbashi, Bokhara’s managing director and Javad Alizadeh, editor in chief of the monthly journal Satire and Cartoon along with several of his colleagues.
“The names of some people become identified with the title of the magazine for which they work and the publication introduces them to the literary world, but there are literary figures, such as Javad Alizadeh, whose names create a new identity for the journal or for the place at which they work,” Dehbashi said during the ceremony.
He gave a brief biography of 53-year-old Alizadeh mentioning that he has also worked in collaboration on various other renowned journals, and that he has been publishing the monthly “Satire and Cartoon” since 1990.
Dehbashi added that Alizadeh, who majored at university in English translation, believes that cartoons are a way of translating the mystery of life and can be used to moderate the prevailing paradoxes in daily life rather than intensify them.
He remarked that although Alizadeh has been working in this field for 36 years continuously, he has never become arrogant even though he has gained global popularity.
“As he has always cared about his motherland and its history, literature and art, I hope that Iranians honor him in the way he deserves,” Dehbashi concluded.
After the screening of his documentary film featuring the publication of the monthly, Ruhollah Zemzemeh talked about Alizadeh’s personality.
Farzan Engar spoke next, remarking that Alizadeh always gave junior cartoonists and satirists confidence and opportunities for experience.
Finally, Alizadeh spoke, mentioning that he was wondering if the ceremony was being held in his honor or that of “Satire and Cartoon”, adding that it made no difference as they had both been born in January. He talked about some of the monthly’s characteristics and admitted that he had become a cartoonist by chance after winning a cartoon competition when he was 15