Mahmoud Hosseini Zad is an Iranian playwright, translator of German works, novelist, and literary critic.

He was awarded the Goethe Medal in 2013, along with Petros Markaris – a prominent Greek writer – and Novin Kishor – the founder of Seagull Books in Kolkata.

The Goethe Institute has called him the most important translator of German-language literature into Persian in modern times.

Mahmoud Hosseini Zad  born 8 April 1946 is an Iranian translator of the contemporary German literature. He is also writer, interpreter, literature jury member and docent.

In the early 70s, Hosseini Zad graduated from the university of Munich in political science. Then he came back to Iran and began to work as a translator for the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, IRIB, and also began to teach German language in the University of Tehran, Azad University, Tarbiat Modares University and language institutes in Tehran. At the same time he published two collections of short stories.

He has translated the works of Bertholt Brecht, Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Judith Hermann, Ingo Schulze, Uwe Timm, Peter Stamm, Julia Franck. He also wrote some plays, for which he was awarded.

Mahmoud Hosseini Zad is a highly respected figure in the world of Iranian literature. He has played a major role in introducing German literature to Iranian readers, and his translations are widely admired for their accuracy and beauty. He is a true bridge between two cultures, and his work has helped to foster understanding and appreciation between Iran and Germany.