Ali Akbar Dehkoda, born in 1257 and died on the 7th of Isfan, 1334, was a renowned Iranian writer, lexicographer, politician, and poet. He was the author and founder of the Dehkoda Dictionary. Dehkoda is considered one of the most wise figures in contemporary Persian culture and literature.
Ali Akbar Dehkoda was born in 1257 in Tehran, in the Sangalaj district. His father, Khan Bobo Khan, a soldier and a member of the middle class in Qazwin, left Qazwin before his birth, sold his property, and settled in Tehran. When he was 9 years old, his father died in Burunjer, and his mother took over his upbringing. Around this time, Ghulam Hussein Burunjerdi, a friend of his family, began tutoring Dehkoda. Dehkoda received an old-school education from him.
When the political science school under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs opened in 1278, Dehkoda took the entrance examination and studied there. Four years later, he was one of the first graduates of the political science school. During his time there, he became familiar with the fundamentals of new academic subjects and the French language. The school’s Persian literature teacher was Muhammad Hussein Furughi, and Dehkoda was occasionally assigned to teach literature in the class. Since Dehkoda’s house was next to that of Sheikh Hadi Najmu’abod, Dehkoda took advantage of this opportunity.
After graduating from political science school, Dehkoda, now known as Mirza Ali Akbar Khan Ghazwini, entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1281, when Al-Dawlah Ghofari’s advisor was appointed Iranian ambassador to the Balkans, Dehkoda joined as his ambassadorial secretary. They spent over two years in Europe, spending time in Vienna. Dehkoda used this opportunity to learn French and gain further knowledge. He returned to Iran in 1284.
Dehkoda’s return to Iran coincided with the beginning of constitutionalism. For the first six months, he worked as a consultant and interpreter for the Belgian engineer Monsieur Dubrouc.
Mirza Jahonkir Khan Shirazi and Mirza Qasim Khan Tabrizi invited him to join in launching the newspaper Sur Israfil, which they themselves founded. Dehkoda was the main writer for Sur Israfil from the very beginning.
By writing articles for the Sur Israfil newspaper, he became one of the constitutionalists. This is why he was so resentful of Muhammad Ali Shah, and if it weren’t for the help of the British embassy to protect him, he would have faced the same fate as his colleague.
The first issue of this weekly newspaper was published on Thursday, 8 Khrodad 1286, in Tehran. Fourteen months later, the newspaper Sur Israfil was closed and suspended, having published a total of 32 issues. The last issue was dated 20 Jamadil Ula 1326. At the beginning of each issue, the Dehkoda wrote articles on political, economic, and social issues, concluding with the pseudonyms Sharand and Parand. This writing style was unprecedented in Persian literature, creating a new form in contemporary Iranian journalism and Persian prose.
