Book Talk: On The Rocky Road Of Life

Event is in Persian.

On The Rocky Road Of Life is the richly detailed personal and professional memoir of Zakaria Hashemi—an artist whose life story unfolds across the alleys and seasons of Tehran, from the scorching heat to the biting cold, from the south to the north of the city during the reign of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The book traces his early days, growing up amid poverty in the neighborhoods of Shahr-e Rey and southern Tehran, where a spirit of athleticism and community prevailed, and follows his entry into cinema as a background actor in the early 1950s.

Hashemi’s gradual emergence into Iran’s intellectual circles begins with his encounter with Farrokh Ghaffari, leading to his involvement in landmark films like South of the City (1958) and Night of the Hunchback (1963). His pivotal meeting with Ebrahim Golestan and Forough Farrokhzad not only earned him the lead role in one of the most significant cultural films in Iranian cinema history (Brick and Mirror, 1965) but also inspired him to write novels such as The Parrot and The Crumpled Coloured Papers. In Golestan Studio, he emerged as one of the boldest voices in Iranian naturalist fiction, unafraid to write candidly about lived experience, all while preserving a lyrical tone rooted in the rhythm of spoken Persian.

The memoir is both a cinematic and literary journey. It charts the course of pre-revolutionary Iranian cinema—both popular and intellectual—while following Hashemi’s transformation from actor to filmmaker. Alongside his artistic development, the book delves into his personal and romantic life in a society experiencing rapid development but also plagued by opportunists and deceitful individuals, whose detailed accounts are shared without exaggeration but with insight into the social trust and naivety of the time.

Covering the entirety of Iran’s sociopolitical evolution during the Pahlavi era, the book also captures the confusion and stagnation that followed the 1979 Islamic Revolution for many artists, investors, and civil servants. It reflects on the waves of bans, censorship, war, and the radical rewriting of reality that eventually led to the author’s involuntary exile—an exile that has now lasted over forty years.

On The Rocky Road Of Life is not merely the story of one remarkable artistic life—it’s also a vibrant social document. Through vivid dialogue and detailed observations, Hashemi presents one of the most comprehensive portraits of everyday Iranians, from laborers, addicts, and athletes to poets, painters, filmmakers, and statesmen. For those who never lived through that era—or never had someone patiently recount it for them—this memoir is a rare and invaluable record. It is the heartfelt tale of an Iran once on the rise, later trapped in deadlock, told by a witness with clear eyes and an open mind.

Zakaria Hashemi is an acclaimed director, novelist, and actor. He has made several documentaries for Iranian national television. He has also directed three feature films, including Se Ghaap (1971). He was the lead actor in several Iranian films including Ebrahim Golestan’s Brick and Mirror (1965) and Amir Naderi’s Khodahafez Rafigh (1971). Mr. Hashemi has written seven books, including Tooti (1969), With Open Eyes (2004), and The Vagabond (2021). Mr. Hashemi’s writing skills were discovered by Forugh Farrokzad, while he was working at Studio Golestan in the 1960’s.

Part of the Stanford Festival of Iranian Arts

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