French scholar who opened Hafez to Francophone readers dies
Charles-Henri de Fouchécour, the distinguished French Iranologist whose landmark French translation of the complete ‘Divan of Hafez’ introduced generations of Francophone readers to Persian classical poetry, died at the age of 100. De Fouchécour devoted more than six decades to Persian language and literature, producing one of the most authoritative French editions of Hafez's works with extensive commentary that made the 14th-century Persian poet accessible to readers unfamiliar with Iran's literary tradition, IRNA reported.
His fascination with Persian culture began after studying Arabic in Tunisia. Recalling a pivotal conversation with one of his teachers, he said, “If you want to go deeper, you must learn Persian,” advice that led him back to Paris, where he completed doctoral studies in Persian language and literature under renowned linguist Gilbert Lazard.
In 1968, as a researcher at France's National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), De Fouchécour traveled to Iran, where he collaborated with leading Iranian scholars including Zabihollah Safa, Iraj Afshar, Nasrollah Pourjavady, Bahaeddin Khorramshahi and Hashem Javid.