Kamran Fani, a distinguished Iranian scholar, translator, librarian, and manuscript researcher, passed away on Saturday, 22 Azar 1404 (December 13, 2025) at the age of 81 in Sina Hospital, Tehran, following a period of illness, leaving Iran’s cultural community in deep mourning.
Fani’s death marks not just the loss of a name in contemporary Iranian culture, but the passing of a quiet yet foundational figure who dedicated decades to preserving the pillars of knowledge, literature, and cultural memory. He belonged to a generation of intellectuals who sought not fame but devoted their lives to the service of Iranian culture, spending their years immersed in books, words, and encyclopedic scholarship.
Born on 25 Farvardin 1323 (April 14, 1944) in Qazvin, Fani initially enrolled in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Tehran in 1341 (1962), but after two years shifted to Persian Language and Literature. He graduated in 1347–1348 (1968–1969) alongside peers including Ghadamali Sarami, Baha’eddin Khoramshahi, Saeed Hamidian, Hassan Anousheh, and Javad Boroumand Saeed. During his studies, he benefited from the guidance of eminent professors such as Abdolhossein Zarrinkoub, Zabihollah Safa, Hasan Minuchehr, Parviz Natel Khanlari, Badi’ozzaman Foruzanfar, Jalaloddin Homay, and Bahram Farvashi.
He earned a master’s degree in library and information science from the Faculty of Educational Sciences at the University of Tehran in 1352 (1973). From 1359 (1980), he worked at the National Library of Iran as a faculty member, advisor to the director, and member of the Supreme Advisory Council. Fani also served on the Board of Trustees of the Parliament Library and the Supreme Council of the Encyclopedia of Islam.
Kamran Fani was one of the rare scholars who saw books not merely as tools for reading, but as living entities within the fabric of Iranian civilization. To him, books were bridges connecting generations, guardians of the history of thought, and instruments for the continuity of Persian language and culture. This vision shaped his entire career, which began in librarianship and expanded into research, translation, lexicography, and encyclopedic scholarship.
A Life Among Books
Fani was among the rare figures who lifted librarianship beyond an administrative role, transforming it into a cultural and civilizational pursuit. His work on major encyclopedic and reference projects—from the Encyclopaedia of Islam to the Encyclopaedia of Shiʿism and the Children’s and Youth Encyclopedia—reveals his vision of culture as interconnected and continuous: beginning in childhood, nurtured through education, and maturing in scholarly research.
He recognized that Iran’s identity is shaped not merely by political borders but by its language, literature, thought, and historical memory. Thus, his central focus was organizing, editing, introducing, and updating the sources that form the backbone of “cultural Iran.”
Translation as Cultural Mediation
In translation, Fani pursued a unique path. He was not simply transferring words between languages; he approached translation as a form of cultural mediation. His fidelity to Persian stemmed not from nationalism but from a deep understanding of its expressive richness and nuance.
Although he rarely appeared in the media, Fani’s influence is evident across libraries, reference collections, and scholarly works. In a time when speed often overshadows depth and information consumption surpasses thoughtful production, his absence serves as a reminder that preserving culture requires patience, rigor, and humility. He belonged to a generation that saw the safeguarding of written heritage as a profound form of cultural patriotism.
