In 1966 Behrangī’s “Ūldūz wa kalāḡhā” (Ūldūz and the crows), his first published children’s story, was discussed in the popular weekly Ferdowsī, which brought the young author’s name to the attention of readers of Persian fiction. During the next two years, numerous stories by Behrangī appeared in pamphlet form, some of them distributed surreptitiously as he developed a reputation as a dissident writer. In the summer of 1968 his best known work appeared, the folktale called
Māhī-e sīāh-e kūčūlū (The little black fish), which many readers have construed as an anti-establishment allegory.
