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No Heaven for Gunga Din; consisting of The British and American Officer's Book, a fable by Ali Mirdrekvandi〔"Mirdrekvandi" is the publisher's spelling, corresponding to Ali's own spelling in manuscript (). and use "Mirdrakvandi". The English sub-titles in the documentary show several variations ("Ali Mirderikvandi", "Mir Derkvandi"), but says "Ali Derikvandi" is his real name. The documentary also shows an envelope with the author's own spelling: "Mir Drekvandi-Ali". It appears that "Mir" is actually a title, equivalent to "Mr." in English, "Drekvandi" (or "Derikvandi") means "from the Derikvand tribe", with "Ali" being his personal name.〕 (but who "preferred to be called Gunga Din"〔From the book (p. 7) hereafter cited as "NHfGD". "Gunga Din" is from the name of the Indian water-carrier portrayed in the poem of the same name by Rudyard Kipling. Poem and book have a common theme regarding the treatment of native servants by colonial military officers.〕), edited by John Hemming, who also wrote the introduction. Published in 1965 by Victor Gollancz Ltd (London) and E. P. Dutton & Company (New York), and in six other languages.〔Hindi, Japanese, Swedish, French, German, and Persian, according to .〕 In the foreword Professor R. C. Zaehner (of All Souls College, Oxford) says Ali Mirdrekvandi was an Iranian peasant who had taught himself to read and write Persian, and then English when British and American troops arrived during World War II.〔.〕 The book's author is the subject of a 2013 documentary by Gholamreza Nematpour.〔.〕 == Author == ''The British and American Officer's Book'' was written by Mirdrekvandi while working at an officers' mess in Tehran during World War II, then given to Hemming (then a British officer), who was mentoring him.〔.〕 Hemming's last contact with Mirdrekvandi was in 1949. At the time of publication the author's history and current circumstances were unknown.〔.〕 Some sources have asserted that Mirdrekvandi was fictional, and the story actually written by Hemming or Zaehner.〔. Zaehner is said to have been involved in the 1953 coup against Mohammad Mossadegh by the British and American governments. .〕 On publication of the book in 1965 the Iranian press instituted a public search for Mirdrekvandi, characterized as a "missing millionaire".〔. The actual book royalties being held for him came to , less costs.〕 His brother, a former classmate, and others who recalled him were found, with the additional information that was he born some time in 1916–1918 in a village in Lorestan Province in western Iran.〔.〕 According to one source〔Phillip Kreyenbroek, in .〕 he was raised by his grandfather after his parents were "taken away by soldiers" and never heard of again. This would have been around the time the Pahlavi dynasty had crushed a rebellion by the nomadic Lurs of Lorestan. Young Ali's talents were noted, and he was sent to a school for sons of tribal leaders to "not to learn banditry and robbery."〔.〕 He reportedly left school after a dispute with the son of the school director, and was working for a railway when British and Soviet forces entered Iran at the beginning of World War II. It was subsequently discovered that Derikvandi had been living in impoverished circumstances in the town of Borujerd, where he was notable for reading many English language books. He is reported as having died on November 26, 1964, just prior to the publication of his book.〔.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「No Heaven for Gunga Din」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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