Intertextual Relationships in the Story of Khaliland Its Iranian Roots

In the present study we examine the hereditary and intertextual relationships in Khalil, a short novel written by Leonid Leonov, Russian author of the 20th century. The story is influenced by Iranian mystical and classical literature and has been created with Oriental and Iranian tone. So, we take into account the concept of intertextuality and examine the impact of texts on each other. The prototype of the hero of the story (Khalil) is one of the kings of the Timurid era, and the chronotope (spatio-temporal) pattern of the story relates to ancient Iran. The Oriental atmosphere of the story is conveyed to the reader through the use of a large number of Persian words and a language style similar to Iranian works. Also, the main character of the story has characteristics similar to those of Iranian literary heroes. In terms of content and structure, there are semantic and structural connections between mystical, mythical, and folk narratives and the story. Its themes and contents have been adapted from various anecdotes, and each of them has influenced part of the story. In the end, by using descriptive-analytical method, we show how successful Leonov is in creating a special story with a multi-dimensional discourse combined with Eastern narrative traditions.