My aim in creating this blog is to introduce Modern Persian Poetry to the English readers. Persian Poetry is amongst the richest and the most varied poetry traditions in the world history. Poetry is still considered the national literary art in Iran and has always been an inseparable part of Iranian identity. You see poems in everyday usage by ordinary people. Lorry drivers and bus drivers write lines of poetry on the back of their vehicles. On most of the gravestones in every corner of Iran, you see beautiful pieces of poems engraved. People celebrate their weddings and mourn their dead by means of poetry. Great classical Persian poets are well-known to the world. Ferdowsi, the composer of the great epic Shahnama, Hafiz, Sa'di, Balkhi (better known as Rumi in the West) and Khayyam are just a few of the great poets Iran has raised.
However, Iran has not departed with its lofty tradition. Modern Persian Poetry which started by Nima Yushij (nicknamed Father of the Modern Poetry) around 90 years ago is still in bloom. Great figures like Ahmad Shamlou, Mehdi Akhavan Saleth, Forugh Farrokhzad, Sohrab Sepehri and many others contributed to the great achievements of Iranian poetry. Today, many Iranian poets inside the Country or in exile are telling the stories of their loved homeland and its beautiful people in verse. The stories of sufferings, struggles and fight for a better life. The story of fight for democracy, freedom and civil rights.
In this blog, I will present a variety of Persian poets through the works I translate personally or the works that other translators may contribute. From time to time, I may also write notes about Persian poetry or other things of interest to me.
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