Dear Colleagues and Friends,
It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Professor Charles-Henri de Fouchécour, Honorary member of the SIE, who died on 19 June 2026, at the age of one hundred.
An eminent scholar of classical Persian language and literature, Professor de Fouchécour’s contribution helped shape the field through a series of pioneering studies, including his landmark Moralia: les notions morales dans la littérature persane du IIIe/IXe au VIIe/XIIIe siècle (Éditions Recherche sur les Civilisations, 1986). He taught at the Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales (Inalco) and at Sorbonne Nouvelle, where he succeeded Gilbert Lazard as University Professor and Director of the Institute of Iranian Studies. He also served as Director of the Institut français de recherche en Iran (IFRI) and was the founder of Abstracta Iranica, the journal of critical bibliographical reviews in Iranian studies in 1978.
Among his many publications, his annotated translation of Hâfez’s Divân (Verdier, 2006)—the first complete French translation of the work—and his translation of the Maqâlât-e Shams (Shams de Tabriz, La quête du joyau, Éditions du Cerf, 2017) stand among his most enduring contributions, not only to the scholarly community but also to generations of students, readers, and admirers of Persian literature and Iranian intellectual history.
A little over a year ago, in the spring of 2025, an exhibition curated by Farzaneh Zareie was presented at the BULAC library, which today commemorates his legacy on its website . With his passing, we lose an inspiring scholar, a generous mentor, and a friend.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones, to his students and collaborators, and to the community.
Photograph courtesy of Farzaneh Zareie