Leila Sadeghi (born 1977) is an Iranian writer who is part of the postmodern movement of creative writing in Iran. She is a novelist and flash-fiction writer in a new style.

         

         

Background and career

Leila Sadeghi attended Allameh Tabatabai University for her undergraduate studies, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Persian Literature in 1999. After publishing her first book, she attended Azad University, where she earned her second B. A. in English Translation (2005) and then M.A in Linguistics (2008). Her M.A. thesis is titled “The Discursive Functions of Silence in Iranian Contemporary Fiction”. This thesis explored the functions of absent elements such as covert speech in short stories. Silence as a hidden language acts to say things indirectly and without speech and narrates the story by using symbol, metaphor and other rhetorical devices. These can be viewed as a kind of silent language, because of the deferment of meaning.

Major works

         

         

Sadeghi’s first novel, “Forth Person Singular” (1999, published by Hamoun), consists of four ‘said’ stories and two ‘unsaid’. It is a new kind of novel, consisting of four independent stories, which at the same time complete each other. She redefines the novel by writing in a new way and omitting the borderlines between short story and novel.

         

         

Her second collection of short stories is named “Make me Time to pass” (2001, Niloufar). She uses icons instead of words in her stories, and narrates the story through the focus on some words, which are the most important character of her stories. This kind of story-writing, in her definition, is called lingual story. This book is a collection of sixty short stories, and every five inter-related stories are similar to sections on the face of the clock: each ‘hour’ forms a part. This means that there are 12 parts, reflecting 12 hours in a day (a book is like a day). At the same time, the 12 parts symbolically refer to 12 constellations, including Ram, Taurus, Gemini, and so on. “We must not write the story according to definitions and norms. Everybody has his/her point of view about the world, which is his/her story. Literature, personally, must ignore the rules, as the internal world doesn’t obey the modified rules”, she says. Lingual fiction is a new kind of story, which is the outcome of Sadeghi’s worldview. This kind of story starts from the first word, and continues according to word’s root, connotation and association meaning and so on

         

         

“If she is Leila, who am I !?” (2002) is also a collection of short stories, which is published by Avam-sara. It is a collection of 11 short stories. The character of all stories is Leila. The book is dedicated to the number 11, as it has two ones. Symbolically, one refers to an isolated person, an ego.

         

         

“I’m in control!” (2002) is a translated collection of short stories, published by Avam-sara. It is a collection of 60 flash fictions of Mark Stanley Bubien. The very short stories themselves range in topic. Many explore a brief event - a vignette of something unusual, unique and, at times, something even commonplace. Some stories can be bizarre, while others quite lucid. Some are based on actual events, while others are entirely fictional.
Fleeting moment that may serve as a defining incident or provide an important revelation. It's nearly impossible to tell a whole story in 2 words, but it is very possible to imply a story in 2 words!

         

         

Inversion stories was published 2008 by Negah., and has been shown as video art in a gallery. It has two parts: a hyper novel on CD and a long story on book (CD+ Book).
It is based on 32 alphabet letters and also 32 photographs of a famous photographer, Javid Ramazani. Every photo in this hyper novel is related to one alphabet letter, which is itself a story. The first part is as hyper text, which is formed by short stories, pictures, some animating words, effect sounds, dialogue, color, music and etc. It is constituted of micro stories which form altogether a macro story. The first part of the CD is metaphorically like a broken window and the second part which is published as a book is metaphorically like an unbroken window glass. Glass itself is a symbol refers to relationships between people.

         

         

Sadeghi and Tina Amrollahi (ed. Dr. Farzan Sojoodi) have translated “The Pursuit of Signs: Semiotics, Literature, Deconstruction”, written by Professor Jonathan Culler. It is published by Elmi, 2008.

Novels and fiction collections:

- "Forth person singular". Novel. Hamoun Pub. 1998.
- "Make me Time to pass". Collec'on of short stories. Niloufar Pub. 2000
- "If she is Leila, who am I?". Collection of short stories. Avam-sara Pub. 2001
- "Inverted stories", a multi media ficton. Negah Pub. 2009
- "Excuse my syntactic mistakes", a poem collection. Salles Pub. In press
- "Blanks that are not filled in", a film-fiction. Salles Pub. In press

Translated books:

- Jonathan D. Culler , “The pursuit of signs: semiotics, literature, deconstruction”, trans.
Leila Sadeghi Esfehani. Elm Pub. 2009
- “Metaphor and Metonymy at the crossroads” (2003), A cognitive perspective, Ed. Antonio
Barcelona, trans. Leila Sadeghi Esfehani. Elm Pub. 2009
- Stanley Bubien, "The grand illusion: “I’m in control!”, Collection of short stories, trans. Leila
Sadeghi Esfehani. Avam-sara Pub. 2003.

Conference Presentations:

1) “Signifying and referential system in “Real” and “virtual” name: In electronic and non-electronic contexts”, 12th Annual virtual reality international Conference. (sponsored by CNRS-INIST and ISCCnrs) University of Laval, France, 7-11 Apr. 2009. < http://www.laval-virtual.org/index2.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=113&pop=1&page=0 >
2) “The function of codes in the interpretation of the novel by Ebrahim Golestan (According to Roland Barthes semiotics approach).” 1st Persian language and linguistics Conference. University of Ferdosi, Mashhad, 22-23 Feb. 2009.


3) Presenting the first persian hyper novel (Picture on stories), 3st International Women's image Festival, Alte Feuerwache, Cologne, 13-21 March. 2009.
4) “Hyper textual novel”, 1st Cultural Studies and novel writing (sponsored by Faculty of Faculty of Persian Literature and Foreign Languages, University of Allameh Tabataba’ee), University of Allameh Tabataba’ee, Tehran, 16 Dec. 2007.

5) “Femininity in literature or female's literature”, 1st Annual Iran-Turkey Conference entitled "Open the Door, Neighbor". University of Ankara (sponsored by University of Ankara, ". İstanbul Bilgi University and Turkey's Pen), 4-14 Apr. 2005.

Peer-reviewed authored articles:

► Sadeghi, Leila. “The function of codes in the interpretation of “Rooster”. Pazand 14 (2008): 67-71. [Persian]

► ---. “The functions of eloquent silence in fiction interpretation”. Research in Persian Language & Literature 15 (2010): 15-22.

► ---. “The Functions of silence as a part of language in Hushang Golshiri's works”. Pazand 16 (2010): 35-43.

► ---. “Signifying and referential system in “Real” and “virtual” name: In electronic and non-electronic contexts”, proceedings of VRIC'09. 11th virtual Reality International Conference. 22-24th April, 2009, Laval, France. (Sponsored by Laval Virtual, IEEE Computer Society France and AFRV). Ed. Simon Richir and Akihiko Shirai. University of Laval. Conference on the philosophy of identity in the virtual (VRIC), Pp. 293-300. (ISBN 2-9515730-8-1).

Non-peer-reviewed authored articles:

► ---. “The blinds who can see, but don't” (about BLINDNESS, a novel by José Saramago). Aria, August 10 (1997): 8.

► Sadeghi, Leila. “Half of the moon” (Stylistics of Ahmad Shamloo's poetry). Ravesh 2 (2000): 4-10.
► ---. “The structural study of PRINCE EHTEJAB” (a novel by Houshang Golshiri). Hayat no, June 21 (2001): 55-59.

► ---. “About WINTER SPLEEP” (a novel by Goli Taraghi). Hayat no, July 26, (2001): 6.

► ---. “As you had told anything unless Leyli” (about AS YOU HAD TOLD LEYLI, a novel by Sepideh Shamlou). Hayat no, June 11 (2001): 7.

► ---. “Naked in the novel” (about NAKED IN THE WIND, a novel by Mohammad Mohammadali). Kelk 4 (2001): 34-35.

► ---. “Multi centrality in THE MOON WENT DIRECTLEY” (a fiction collection by Ali Samadpoor). Bidar 17 (2002): 11.

► ---. “Who turns off the lights?” (about THE LIGHTS, I TURN OFF, a novel by Zoya Pirzad). Bidar 18 (2002): 9-13.

► ---. “The secret of dead book is in its being alive?” (about, REAL LIFE OF SEBASTIAN KINIGHT, a novel by Vladimir Nabokov). Bidar 14 (2002): 10-14.

► ---. “If the director performed just 1.3 of his thoughts” (about DOG KILLING, a movie by Bahram Beyzaie). Bidar 16 (2002): 99-101.

► ---. “Multi narrativity in LOW ATTITUDE” (a movie by Ebrahim Hatamikia). Hamshahri 121 (2002): 2.

► ---. “Lingual-based or subject-based fiction” Ketabe-e-Hafte, Nov. 22 (2003): 9.

► ---. “Pass the time or stick to time” (about Make me Time to pass) Shargh, June 28 (2004): 4.

► ---. “Comparative research between “The Nocturnal Harmony Of Wood” by Reza Ghasemi, “Slaughterhouse-Five” by Kurt Vonnegut, and “Blind owl” by Sadegh Hedayat. Kelk 149 (2004): 43-47.

► ---. “Open the Door, Neighbor” (a report about the literary conference of İstanbul Bilgi University). Baya, third period 3, 4, 5, 6 (2004): 9.

► ---. “Why not all the readers of lingual fiction are its interlocutor”, Baya, third period 3, 4, 5, 6 (2004): 9.

► ---. “A note on “IT IS OUR PASSED AWAY HOUSE” (a theatre presentation by Hamed Mohammad Taheri). Shouka 3 (2004): 70-71.

► ---. “Semiotic approach to Photography: about THE COPY” (a photography exhibition by Javid Ramazani). Photography 238 (2007): 34-35.

► ---. “It is whose story” (about Emran Salahi's works). Ferdosi 53 (2007): 18.

► ---. “A structural study about LOOK AT THE MOON” (a musical performance by Mohammad Javad Safari). Kargozaran 605 (2008): 5.

► ---. “Study of symbols in HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG” (a movie by Vadim Perelman). Woman's voice 56 (2008): 20.

► ---. “About SUMMER HOUSE, LATER” (a fiction collection by Judith Hermann). Negareh 4 (2008): 37-43.

► ---. “There is nothing outside the text: a semiotics approach” (About a novel by Ebrahim Golestan). Neveshta 9 (2008): 22-33.

► ---. “About A CITY OF SINGLE PERSON” (a fiction collection by Marjan Basiri). Kargozaran 26 (2008): 12.

► ---. “Why they are born as writers”, Vals, Fall (2008).

► ---. “Functions of Silence in Hushang Golshiri's novels”. Neveshta 15 (2010): 20-27.

► ---. “Functions of language in poetry: Today's poem is lingual poem”. Digaran 6 (2010): 3.