Study of the Existentialist Components in “I am not a Sparrow” and “Essay on Nader Farabi” by Mostafa Mastoor

Existentialism is a philosophical school that has found expression mostly in literary works, including novels and plays. This school was first founded in Germany by Kierkegaard in the 19th century, then it made its way to France and Jean-Paul Sartre spread it. The principle of this school is based on the absolute freedom of man and the elimination of necessity, in such a way that man is responsible for his own destiny. This school, like many other schools of thought, found its way to Iran and the works of Iranian authors. One of the contemporary writers who is influenced by the traces of this school in his works is Mostafa Mastoor. This research first deals with the theoretical debates about the school of existentialism and its influence in Persian literature, as well as its components, and then examines and analyzes those components and two works of Mostafa Mastoor’s works. It is also an attempt to clarify that this philosophical school is one of the most used philosophical schools in literature due to its emphasis on "man". The fictional characters of Mostafa Mastoor are disillusioned and isolated ones, people who share the same characteristics in all the works related to this philosophical school, which are present in the literary masterpieces of the existentialism school.