Mahmood Barabadi, a writer of children’s and adolescent literature, was born on the first day of Shahrivar 1331 (August 23, 1952) in the city of Sabzevar. From his teenage years, he began working in his father’s grocery store, which sparked his first story-writing inspiration. He wrote the story of the theft by his father’s apprentice under the title “A Lesson Story” in the school’s wall newspaper, which received much acclaim.

In 1345 (1966), at the brink of adolescence, he started working as a journalist for the “Daughters and Sons of Sabzevar” magazine, and in 1350 (1971), he entered the Teachers’ Training University to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Human Geography. During his student years, he, along with some other students, published the “Pegah” magazine. In 1353 (1974), he was arrested and imprisoned for participating in student protests, but even during this time, he participated in secret literary sessions in prison. Barabadi’s first book, “Koochi’s Epic,” was published outside of prison and was reprinted eight times due to its popularity before his release. “Koochi’s Epic” is the story of a small dog named Koochi, who single-handedly stands against wolves and defends his herd.

Mahmoud Barabadi was finally released from prison in 1356 (1977) and graduated the same year. The following year, he entered the National University (Shahid Beheshti) in the field of Urban and Regional Planning, but due to the Cultural Revolution, his master’s studies extended until 1364 (1985).

Some of his works include:

• The Book of Wonders
• Let’s Go and Come by Bus
• The Men and Women Who Built Today’s Iran