- Ali Ashraf Darvishian (Persian: علیاشرف درویشیان; 25 August 1941 – 26 October 2017) was a Kurdish story writer and scholar. After finishing teacher-training college, he would teach at the poverty-stricken villages of Gilan-e-Gharb and Shah Abad (nowadays called Islam Abad). This atmosphere is featured in most of his stories. His own life situation, as well as the experiences that he had from his teaching in those poor areas, was the inspiration for his literary works and also made him a critic of the political and social situation of Iran. Later, he moved to Tehran and continued his studies in Persian literature. In 2006, Ali Ashraf Darvishian was in Australia as a guest of the and presented a number of lectures on a broad range of social and cultural issues. Marjane Satrapi, an Iranian-French author, mentions Darvishian in her graphic novel Persepolis. She considers him her favorite childhood author, recalls going to his clandestine book-signing, and describes him as “a kind of local Charles Dickens”. He died at Karaj, on 26 October 2017 and was buried at Behesht-e Sakineh cemetery. (en)
