Weak Link between Theatre & Literature (First Chapter)

That’s why a tradition of play writing does not exist while reviewing literature of Persian-, Arabic- and Turkish-speaking countries. Play writing is ignored in categorization of the literature history of these countries according to such definition. Such approach has caused theater and literature be considered as two completely separate issues in such countries. It is while theater, particularly play writing, is part of the broad realm of literature in the west; separate in rules and techniques but actually inseparable.   
The issue is clearer when sources of literature theories are reviewed. Aristotle wrote his important book Poetics to define theory of poetry but it turned out to be a book on theater, especially tragedy. The theater and tragedy are dominant topics even in Horas’s poetry techniques [?????]. The reason could not be anything except that there were no separating border between literature and theater during the period and theater and literature were parts of one art.
The border between theater and literature became clearer after the renaissance. But many writers and poets were still busy working on both realms and are successful too. The most noted one is William Shakespeare who was a renowned poet in England during his time but his plays are acclaimed internationally throughout the ages and centuries.   
Goethe and Schiller are also internationally and nationally known German poets but each one of them has written plays which are among masterpieces of dramatic literature.
New genres like novel and short stories not only did not weaken the link between theater and literature but also strengthened it because the common points between stories and plays are much more than those of poetry and play. I will be back on the topic later on.
Miguel de Cervantes with his Don Quixote is known as pioneer of the world novel writing. He started his career by play writing. As time passes, the number of writers who wrote plays and playwrights who wrote stories and novels increases. Chekhov, who is an acclaimed figure in short stories world, occupies a high status in play writing, too. Besides writing his masterpiece The Mother, Maxim Gorky created many plays which staged and have been staging during his period and now. Nicolai Gogol, whose The Overcoat is one of the masterpieces of fiction literature, has written an acclaimed play The Government Inspector.  
Such shifts between literature and theater are not limited to Russian literature and can be seen in other European countries too. The most significant example is French writers Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus. In addition to his novel Nausea, Sartre has outstanding plays such as The Devil and the Good Lord and The Condemned of Altona. Camus has also written important plays such as Caligula and The Just Assassins besides his novels.  
All these examples, which could have been much more and some outstanding examples are brought here, push us toward one important and main question; what are the links between theater and literature in Iran? Actually, have such links been formed and went on? And if links are weak since when that was happened and what are their negative impacts on our theater and literature?
Such links between theater and literature could have been deep and strong because a broad relation used to exist between the two genres of new drama and story in the beginning. First signs of the link could be seen in poetical dramas of Mirzadeh Eshghi. Even Iran’s modern poetry has begun with Nima’s (father of Iran’s modern poetry) Afshaneh (Myth), which is a dramatic poem. Even though Afshaneh is not considered a drama in its specialized definition, it shows deep link between Iran’s modern literature and the novel genre called play writing. This is the time when Sadegh Hedayat, the prolific playwright, wrote some plays. Although their literary aspect casts its shadow over its dramatic characteristic, this could be seen as a beginning for establishing a link between fiction and dramatic literature.
The 1960s and 70s are considered as golden age of the link between literature and theater. Four forms of link between literature and theater could be seen in these two decades;
1- Playwrights have concerns about literature and are active in the field. Bahman Forsi, Abbas Na’lbandian and Naser Irani were among the most important figures of such playwrights who in addition to their main career as playwright, they wrote stories and novels, too. These playwrights also had outstanding works in literature.  
1- Fiction writers who are seriously concerned about theater and are active in dramatic literature besides their constant story writing activities. The most important figure of the 1970s is Mahmoud Dowlatabadi who has written both Kelidar and Jaye Khaliye Solouch (Missing Solouch) and dramas like Tangna (Impasse) and Ghoghnous on his record. Dowlatabadi played in and directed dramas throughout his prolific career too.
2- Some writers are active in both fields of literature and playwriting. The most known figure is Gholam-Hossein Sa’edi who published his dramas under the pen name of Gohare Morad. He wrote many novels and stories like Azadaran-e Bayal (The Mourners of Bayal), Tars-o Larz (Fear & Trembling) and important plays including Dicte (Dictation), Zaveyeh (Angel) and Choob b Dashaye Varzil.
In addition to Saedi who was active in late 1970s, young writers such as Yar-Ali Pour-Moghaddam worked in both fields, too.
3-Some artists focused on studies in both fields. The link between theater and literature was so strong in the 1960s and 70s that many literary figures wrote criticisms on performances and many theater experts penned literary criticisms.  A review of the magazines of the 1960s and 1970s would reveal noted writers such as Reza Barahani, Jalal Al-e Ahmad and Ahmad Shamlou who had written criticisms on dramatic works. Figures such as Al-e Ahmad and Shamlou translated plays, too.  
As golden age of strong link between literature and theater and time passes, the link between literature and theater weakens in a way that almost no relations are seen between the two now. A few writers are working in both fields and they are mainly foreign-based. Writers such as Reza Ghasemi and Reza Barahani, who have gotten familiar with a strong playwriting tradition in those countries, are among them.
Indeed, this should be added that few writers, who are working in both fields, have been literary figures of the 1960s and 1970s and not the young ones. As time passes, the gap between literature and theater is widening more and more. Today’s writers and poets do not go to see theater and theater artists have no place for literature in their busy schedule not to mention finding artists who are active in both fields.  
Why link between theater and literature is so weak and what damages of such relations would be are among topics to be discussed in second chapter of the paper. The advantages of and necessities for strong relation between literature and theater would be discussed later.
To be continued …