Taqi Arani
Taghi Arani, was a professor of chemistry, left-wing Iranian political activist, and the founder and editor of the Marxist magazine Donya. He moved to Tehran with his family when he was 4 years old. In 1920, he graduated from Dar ul-Funun School in Tehran and pursued his studies in Germany studying chemistry at Berlin Institute of Technology. While studying in Germany, he began to study politics as well. Upon finishing his studies, he returned to Iran in 1928 and started Donya Magazine. Many people consider Donya as his most important contribution to modern intellectual life in Iran. In 1938, he and 52 of his colleagues, The Fifty-Three, were arrested and charged with being involved in communist activities. He died in jail in February 1940.
Members of the Fifty-Three would go on to found the Tudeh Party in 1941, often considered the beginning of the modern Communist party in Iran.
