On May 20, 2008, Daniil Samuilovich Komissarov, Doctor of Philology, Professor, Patriarch of Russian Iranian Studies, died at the age of one hundred and two.

He worthily passed a difficult and glorious path together with his country, sharing its troubles and achievements.

In his youth, D. S. Komissarov fought with the Basmachi on the fronts of the Civil War. After graduating from the Leningrad State Institute of History, Philosophy, Literature and Linguistics and post-graduate studies at Leningrad University in 1938, he began teaching Persian and Tajik languages at the Eastern Faculty of the University and was deputy dean of this faculty.

During the difficult years of the Great Patriotic War, D. S. Komissarov carried out a responsible state mission, working in the Soviet Embassy in Iran (1941-1945). He took part in the historic Tehran Conference of 1943, where the leaders of the three powers, Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill, discussed the opening of the second front and the post-war world order.

After returning from Iran, D. S. Komissarov worked in the central office of the Foreign Ministry, but became a victim of slander and was arrested on absurd charges of "propaganda against the USSR." In the dungeons of the KGB, he had to endure torture and a heart attack. DS Komissarov behaved courageously and with dignity, did not sign a single paper. And immediately after Stalin's death, he was released with apologies and reinstated to work in the Foreign Ministry.

But after all this experience, D. S. Komissarov decided to devote himself to science, became an employee of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the USSR Academy of Sciences in Moscow, where he served until the last day of his life.

D. S. Komissarov's research interests were extremely broad: contemporary Iranian fiction, Iranian literary criticism, fine arts of Iran, etc. He maintained constant and lively contacts with the greatest representatives of Iranian literature: Said Nafisi, Malek-osh-Shoara (the king of poets) Famous novelist Sadeq Chewbacq, Zakaol-Molk, Sadeq Hedayat, Galestan and Nodushen. They exchanged letters, writers sent him their works, many of which became known to the Russian reader thanks to the translations of D. S. Komissarov.

But the main subject of scientific interest of D. S. Komissarov was the literary prose of Iran in the XIX-XX centuries. He has more than two hundred scientific papers, including ten books*.

D. S. Komissarov was the organizer of the authors 'collective and executive editor of the" History of Persian Literature. XIX-XX century" (Moscow, 1999). In this work, along with other sections, he includes chapters devoted to the literature of the XIX century, where he analyzes the work of Iranian writers unknown to Russian researchers.

A distinctive feature of D. S. Komissarov's scientific work is the introduction into scientific use of extensive new material that was previously inaccessible to Russian scientists. It is also characterized by the scrupulous accuracy of the facts and quotations given.

D. S. Komissarov's long-term friendly communication with an outstanding prose writer of Iran of the XX century. Sadeq Khedayat (tragically died in Paris in 1951), deep acquaintance with his work and extensive literature about him gave him the opportunity to create a fundamental work " Sadeq Khedayat. Life and Creativity" (Moscow, 1967).

The work of this powerful talent continued to attract the attention of the scientist, and in 2001 his new study " Sadek Hedayat. Life after Death", which significantly supplemented the previous book about him.

In his declining years, D. S. Komissarov became interested in the fine arts of Iran and in 2004 published the book "Kamal-ol-Molk. A new stage in Iranian painting". One can only be surprised at the creative longevity of the scientist, his interest in new areas of Iranian culture. The results of D. S. Komissarov's research were recognized by the international scientific community - 28 of his works were published in Iran, Germany, France, and Canada. It is also necessary to mention the pedagogical activity of D. S. Komissarov. For many years, he regularly traveled to Dushanbe, where he lectured at the Tajik University. He managed to create his own school of Iranian literary scholars; under his leadership, fifteen graduate students successfully defended their PhD theses.

D. S. Komissarov left us at a very advanced age, but full of creative plans, which included the creation of two more books - "Iranian Silhouettes" and "My Life" - unfortunately, never realized.

We, the people who worked alongside him, who had the happy opportunity to communicate with him, can only always keep a bright memory of this honest, fair, deeply decent and extremely benevolent scientist and Person.

FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES

* For lists of D. S. Komissarov's works, see Peoples of Asia and Africa. 1967. N 4. pp. 224-225; 1977. N 6. pp. 236-237; 1989. N 1.

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