Zabihollah Safa

Zabihollah Safa (Persian: ذبیح‌اللّه صفا; May 7, 1911 in Shahmirzad, Iran – April 29, 1999 in Lübeck, Germany) was a scholar and professor Emeritus of Iranian Studies at the University of Tehran.

His main contribution to the field of Iranian studies is seen in his seminal and comprehensive works on the history of Persian literature.

His thesis, a comprehensive study of epic narratives in Iran (Hamāseh-sarāyi dar Irān) was later published as a book and illustrated his ability to synthesize a vast range of readings into a coherent manual for teaching.

The topic chosen for his thesis was also an indication of his life long love for his country and his determination to bear witness through his writing to major literary, philosophic and scientific contributions made by Iranians to civilization at large.

It is however, for his work as an editor of many classical texts and above all, for his monumental History of Persian Literature and his valuable anthology (translated into French in the UNESCO Collection as Anthologie de la poésie persane by Gilbert Lazard, Roger Lescot and Henri Massé, Paris, 1964) that he will be best remembered.