An Analysis of the Accuracy of Attribution of Divane Khatayi to Shah Isma'il I of Safavid Based on Gerard Genette’s Theory

Shah Isma'il I of the Safavid dynasty was the inheritor of the politics and courage of the late Safavid sheikhs (Sheikh Junaid and Sheikh Haidar) and his maternal grandfather (Ozone Hasan Ag Ghoiunlu) and the virtues and spirituality of the old Safavid sheikhs, especially Sheikh Safi al-Din Ishaq Ardabili. According to some reliable historical and literary sources, he had a poetic talent and Divane Khatayi has been attributed to him. However, the accuracy of this attribution has some opposing and adherents. This paper has studied Divane Khatayi and other literary and historical sources of the Safavid era in a descriptive-analytical way based on Gerard Genette’s Theory and concluded that according to the inner and outer paratextual evidence, the attribution of Divane Khatayi to Shah Isma'il I of the Safavids has a strong scientific, literary and historical backing. Most of the inner paratextual evidence of this attribution is related to the title of the divan and the poet’s pen name that in addition to implying the same person, frequently came together. Furthermore, most of the external paratextual evidence is related to biography writers' reports about his poetic talent and attribution of Divane Khatayi to him along with quoting examples of his poems. Other paratextual evidence includes references from historians, authors of dictionaries and encyclopedias, Selselat-ol Nasabs, travelogues, Ashiqs, etc. that confirm the accuracy of attribution of Divane Khatayi to him altogether.