Nourollah Kharrazi, best known by his nom de plume “Nouri”, was born in 1921 in the Iranian city of Kashan. He received his elementary education at the Alliance Israélite of Kashan, a.k.a. the Agha Yeghouti-el School, which was continued at Kourosh “Cyrus” Elementary School of Tehran, once the family had immigrated to the capital. After completing his high school studies at Iran-Shahr and Bazargani “Trade” High Schools, he enrolled at the School of Law, University of Tehran, to pursue his higher education.
Before long, however, Nouri realized that his chosen major did not agree with his plans for the future, and as such, he set out to continue his studies abroad. Thus, in 1947, his academic studies unfinished, he left Iran for the United States, where he would receive his Master’s Degree in Philosophy and Mysticism from New York University, N.Y.U. He then returned home in Iran.
In 1951, Nouri married an Iranian Jewish girl named Rachel Mah. The couple would bring a daughter and a son to the world.
Even as a 16-year old teenager, Nouri had already begun his writing career with several short stories. These included Sabzeh-Ghaba (The Green Cloaked), Bolbol (The Nightingale), Professor Simon, and Fazlollah, which appeared in the famous satirical weekly, Tofigh. The director of Tofigh, Hossein Tofigh, recognized the young Nouri’s writing gifts and analytical capabilities, and he became one of the young man’s strongest supporters in his writing career. Nouri was soon invited to join the authors’ board meetings of the magazine, where he proved his talents alongside such great names as Abol-Ghasem Halat, Karim Fakour and Parviz Khatibi. In 1953, Nouri’s first book Persilla (Priscilla) was published by the Safi Ali-Shah Publication, thanks to the support from the Tofigh brothers, the founders of the magazine. Thus, Nouri registered his name as an author with a distinct personal style among Persian literary figures. His later books consisted mostly of short-story collections, including Sheyda-ye Behbahan (The Lovesick of Behbahan), Ghos va Ghazah (Rainbow), Anfieh-Dan (Snuff Box), Zomorrod (Emerald), and Khoon-Baha (Ransom). Nouri’s work was largely influenced by such famed Iranian authors as Mohammad Hejazi, Ali Dashti, and Jamal-Zadeh. By the time he completed his education, he had created enough career and business opportunities in America to travel regularly between the two countries. Yet, despite a busy schedule, he remained in touch with Tehran-based magazines and other publications. Nouri produced more than 200 essays and articles during this period.
Following the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Nouri and his family left the country for the United States. Once in the States, he gradually decreased his writing pursuits to a minimum, and instead he focused largely on his business endeavors.
In 2001, the chief editor of a Los Angeles-based magazine invited Nouri to collaborate with their Persian-language publication. The author accepted the invitation, and thus, after a 20-year hiatus, he resumed writing with an astonishing glow. Thereafter, and to end of his life, most Persian publications in Los Angeles published this prolific author’s articles. Besides Persian, he had a full knowledge of the English literature, and at times, he published his works in English.
Nouri loved to write. He was an author with a refined taste, an enthusiastic man and generous spirit who believed in loving his fellow humans as he loved himself. He wrote mostly about the facts of life, masterfully dissected by a satirical pen to show the depth of people’s being and to reflect their qualities and attributes. This experienced and open-minded author donated the entire proceeds from the sale of his books to charities.
Nourollah Kharrazi “Nouri” died on October 28th, 2014, the 5th of Aban 1393 of the Persian calendar, at the age of 93, in Los Angeles.
Nourollah “Nouri” Kharrazi’s works also include:
Ashk-e Khoda (Tears of God) (1989)
Ghalb-e Geryan (The Weeping Heart) (1991)
Beh Souy-e Ghorbangah (Toward the Sacrificial Altar)
Arvah-e Khalkoobi-Shodeh (Tattooed Spirits)
Bootey-e Foroozan (The Burning Bush)
Einstein, Man of the Century
Hitler: Namard-e Gharn (Hitler, the Anti-Human of the Century)
Nardeban-e Yaghoub (Jacob’s Ladder)