Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• zahra ansari ¹
• Farzad Baloo ²
• siavash haghjou ³
• Reza Satari ²

¹ Department of Persian language and literature. Mazandaran University. Iran . Babolsar

² Department of Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature and Foreign Languages, University of Mazandaran, Iran.

³ , Department of Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature and Foreign Languages, University of Mazandaran, Iran.

Abstract

This study, with a philosophical-critical approach, examines the concept of the "Presence and Absence of Nietzschean Übermensch" (1844–1900) in Sadegh Hedayat's novel The Blind Owl (1281–1330). The analysis is situated within the context of nihilistic and identity crises in Iran during the early Pahlavi period, and in connection with Hedayat's "Romantic Nationalism" philosophy. Hedayat, by employing ancient myths, metaphorical language, and philosophical symbolism, reinterprets the concept of the Übermensch, emphasizing concepts such as "decay of foundations," "will to power," and "eternal recurrence" as responses to passive nihilism and efforts to create new values. Throughout the narrative, three forms of nihilism are identified: "passive" nihilism (absence of the Übermensch), "active" nihilism (presence of the Übermensch), and an "intermediate" state, which reflects the oscillating identity of the Iranian individual in confrontation with tradition and modernity. Characters such as Lakaté and the riffraff (intermediate figures) reveal the narrator’s inner contradictions and drive him toward reflection on identity and meaning. Bogam-Dasi (symbol of the Eastern Übermensch) and the old man with ragged clothes (symbol of active nihilism) lead the narrator toward accepting existential crises and creating new meaning. The open-ended conclusion of the novel serves as both a symbol of the endless search for identity and a reflection of Hedayat’s self-inflicted death, linked to active nihilism and Nietzsche’s concept of "eternal recurrence." Ultimately, this study, through an interdisciplinary reading, presents a novel framework for examining identity and cultural crises at the intersection of philosophy, literature, and social studies

Keywords

• Nietzsche
• Nihilism
• Übermensch
• Hedayat
• The Blind Owl