Interview With
She comes every night….nothing left to say from her beauty….with those roses on her hand….i closed my eyes and she passed away ….i do not know who she is…..in my dreams she does not exist….i love her perfume…..it remind me love….
Gahan Sabz
- Hello Dear Gahan, could you introduce yourself and tell me when the spirit of life went into your heart?
Hello Dear Arman, My name is Gahan Sabz. My family name means “green” in English and my name means “world”, so my name is World Green or in the other hand you can say Green world! I was born in America in New York in 1931. My father was an employer in Iran but before the revolution in Iran he decided to leave Iran to America. He had lots of dreams, but unfortunately he was not a successful man, he went to New York and after three years he was in love with my mother, Rose. They got marry in 1925 and after six years I born. After 8 years my father killed in the mean streets of New York by a police when he was trying to runaway because he stole a diamond from an old lady. In fact we were a poor family. Father worked for a group that they were bring alcoholic drinks to New York hidden because those days it was forbidden to have alcoholic drinks or sell them. My mother and I were alone those days. My mother was working in a restaurant as a waitress and she made a little money every day. With that little money I and my mother had to pay for rent and food, Life was so hard those days. My mother decided to back to her city….Venice.
- Thanks for your answer, so tell me about yourself a little bit more?
I am nobody….I was not exist. But now I am. I found myself in a dark jungle and that was a long way for me to be in the lights. A Real hard way….I went to many places to see the things . I spent whole of my life in trip to many places. My job is writing and painting Arman. Whole of my life, I tried to be an artist….a unique artist that can be different from anyone in this world and I think I was successful until now. I wrote 14 books and I drew more than 100 works with oil colour and water colour and even colour pencil. My famous books which have not published is the story of life! Story of a dark life. After many years when I got tired and back to Iran to have an ordinary life I just found a thing during my trips….u know! That was what I was searching for that for 50 years. THE SECRET WORLD. The world that many humans haven’t been there or even they do not know what is it. Well i am not a famous person or an famous artist! I am a part of ordinary people….
- Where were you live when you was a child, can you remember?
In a little boundless house. My house was very little and we had a room and a little hall. But my house had a big heart. My mother was a real angel and she was the person who brings the happiness to our house every day. Our house was one of the rivers and every day I remember that I sat on the side of window and looked at the boats in the river and was really enjoy it. I was searching whole the streets to find a piece of paper and then i was starting to write poem and little stories about myself and my mother. My dreams, my creations and all those things were on that papers. Our neighbour was a French artist. Every morning he was singing like a drunk man and he was painting some unusually things, like bloody woman and man or many dead bodies in a nice colourful garden. Always he was talking about doom day and the end of the word and he says the end of the world was close. And one day he died, I do not know why but I guess that he was killed him to see the end of his world. My childhood was an ordinary type of childhood like other Childs in the Venice. I found many friends and I and my friends were selling news paper to people and we were able to make a little money. I was trying to help my mother whole the time. And one day something happen.
- I like to see Venice, sounds very beautiful. So….what happened to your life?
My mother sent me to a school. They were teaching us many things. I learned how to writing and reading. But there was a class that I was not forget since today and I think I will bring it with myself to my tomb! Violin class was the class that I liked. We had a strange teacher. He always talked about A Secret World. A World which is hidden behind our world and many people are not able to see that. He did not tell us how we can find the secret world but he said there is a key to enter this world and it is The Sound of Music…. I got excited about that, I was asking from anyone to find a way to open the secret world door but people did not know and even, mother. When I was 12 years old… i was almost forgot about secret world. My mother married to a rich am n from Vienna when i was 15 years old. It was unbelievable; I did not care about that man and mother anymore because I was lost myself in money. I had a nice house, nice room and everything I wanted I had. I lost my self… . I really lost myself in a dark jungle full of lies. The money was the reason. I got depressed. I was about die. Until I saw a Man…. A man from secret world that he changed my life.
- How your life had been changed?
In a rainy day…. I met a man under the rain. He had a violin and a big bra and when he saw me he shout “Gahan, Is that you?” I did not know who he is. But he told me that he was our neighbour ! I got excited because i thought he was die… . But in fact he was not. He told me that he was about die but a doctor from Greece saved his life. He told me that he want to go to Russia and before he left he told me something “Do not forget your origins” I realized something that I have not been think about that until that day. Who Am I really? Who is Gahan ? I completely forgot who am i. And that time i realized that everyone in this world has their own secret worlds. And we have to discover it. My question was where is my secret world? What do you think arman ?
- Well I am not sure about that. I just shocked about what I heard!
Well. Easy to answer… . That was the land of unforgettable people. Now you know, YES. IRAN ! the land that i was forget… . I found myself when I was 21 years old.
- How you found Iran?
I Left my family when I was almost 22 year old. My mother had two girl and she was almost forgot me. I decided to left all my family to find my origins, to find the place that I belong to there. My mother did not know about Iran and even the new Father! I decided to find by myself. I was so excited to see where Iran is…. I went to libraries in Venice and search for that. I read many history books and little by little I could found some information about Iran. The first thing that I read was about a person called Kurosh. And Dariush. Dariush was the first person in the history who wrote the Human Rights. That was so interesting for me. I found Molana and Saadi and Hafez the people who wrote many famous poems and I Found much information about Iran Country. Iran was too far from me…. Iran was in Middle East and I was in Europe. I decided to Began my trip to Iran. And in 12 November, 1953. One of the darkest journeys has begun.
- Sounds that you were confusing to how to begin your trip? Isn’t it ?
Yes, but i was. Becuase I Have to go I was not scared and I decided to began. I heard from people that some people who are called Persians were coming to French for study, well i did not have any other choose. I start my trip to go to French.
- What did you find in French?
Well, I found many things in French. French was a nice city. It was like a dream. I was in love with the beauty of French. I went to Paris. City of mysterious histories. I heard that some Persian people came here to study medicine. I looking for them everywhere until one rainy day when I was on way and I was passing from Eiffel and at the middle of way to my home I decided to take look at Louver Museum. I went there and I was starting to look art works there. When I sat Mona Lisa Smile I got excited. I was so excited because I read many things about that and the artist, Leonardo DA Vinci. I saw three unique men with different faces. I feel that my face is a bit same to them. I mean the type of face. I asked them where you come from and the man that was tall and young told me: Persia. I SHOCKED!!!! I really shocked.
- So finally you found Iranians. So what did you tell them about your self?
I almost told them who am I and why I came here. I told them a bit about my life and they were wonder about what they heard. We went to a restaurant and they starting to explain to me about Iran and the entire history in those days. They told me Iran have a king called Reza shah and his son Mohammad Reza will be the next king. They told me some people in Iran are against to king organization in Iran and they are trying to explain to people that Iran is under the control of England and this is the England which is using Iran as benefit. But later they said that when Mohammad Reza became the king the Iran was not under the control of England anymore, and then the people who was against to the king organization become more and more.
I asked them how I can come back to Iran. But they said what I will do there. And the was a real problem. I knew that my father was an Iranian person but was it possible to find his friends? it was a hard way and I guess I was not able to find them. Beside, Iran situation sounds dangerous and i have to make another decision about what should i do.
My problem was i had to find a job and work, i was not study and that was a problem and I did not have money to trip again. It was hard to make connection to my mother and asked her to send me money because i left them and i wanted to forget her. However it is still right that I say my mother was an angel and she is!
I started to work in a restaurant as a waiter and in nights I was working with a company and I was driving their products to places that they want. I could make money and that was really good for me. Actually life was hard but I was trying to handle it. Those days I met a nice girl called Fiona and she was very pretty. We spent many times with each other. She was a singer and she had a soft beautiful voice that I have not heard! Like an angel.
I do not know how but in 1958 I received a letter from my mother that she is sick and she is in Germany… .
- Cold war had much behaviour in countries those days… how you went Berlin? Have you seen that famous wall!?
That was a hard way but it was important to me to see my mother, I was so worry about what happened to her and why she is in berlin. Beside what should i do with Fiona. Me and her were in love. But she said that she could not leave French and she promised to me that she ill wait for me. I scared that I would not be able to return to French. I did not know what should do? Life is not fair always. Time does not let us to do what want. I decided to leave her…. for how long I was not sure about that. I sold everything that i had to make the enough money. And i went to Berlin with train.