The Significance of Ali Mohammad Monshi’s Stylistic Imitation from Saadi’s Golestan in Monshi’s Life and Works

Lots of literary compositions have been influenced by Saadi’s Golestan. Many writers have no reservations about directly imitating some stylistic aspects of Golestan in their own literary works. In Shekarestan, Ali Mohammad Monshi (with the literary pseudonym “Hakim) proves to be such a writer. Nothing of substance is known about his personal life. Through surveying previous scholarly studies and some pertinent sources survived from the Qajar Era, the present article gives a clearer picture of Monshi’s personal life. Furthermore, it focuses on the imitative significance of his literary style and content and identifies the instances where the stylistic aspects of Saadi’s Golestan are clearly imitated in Monshi’s poetry.