TEHRAN – Iranian translator and film critic Bijan Ashtari passed away on Saturday, June 8, at his home in Tehran at 64.

Ashtari had been battling cancer in recent years, but the cause of death was announced as a heart attack, ISNA reported.

Through the translation and publication of numerous important works in the field of contemporary history and politics, he made a lasting contribution to raising awareness and deepening historical understanding among Persian readers.

Ashtari began his translation career in the early 1980s in the field of arts and cinema journalism, and also worked for a time as a film critic in newspapers and magazines like “Donya-ye Tassvir” (World of Image).

He became a symbol of translating historical texts related to communism, totalitarianism, and various forms of dictatorship across the world — works distinguished by their red covers, often published by Saless Publication.

From the mid-2000s onward, he embarked on a major project translating biographies and events related to the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc.

Among his well-known translated works are “Young Stalin,” “Gaddafi’s Harem,” and “The Aquariums of Pyongyang”.

His other notable translated works include “Stalin’s Daughter,” “Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar,” “Manuscripts Don’t Burn,” and “Comrade: The Life and Death of Ernesto Che Guevara”.

His translations have been reprinted multiple times and have played an unparalleled role in enlightening a new generation of ideology-weary, history-thirsty readers.

SS/SAB