Book on Persian Poetry Set for India Release

An English translation of a selection of Persian poetry by contemporary poets in Iran is set to come out in the Indian market on March 1.

Titled ‘Modern Poetry of Iran’, the book is an anthology of more than 85 acclaimed works of renowned Iranian poets. It comprises Persian poems, meticulously translated into English by Aziz Mahdi, a Persian scholar from India, Mehr News Agency reported.

A brief biography of each poet accompanies their works. Nima Yooshij, Parvin Etesami, Shahriar, Rahi Moayyeri, Ahmad Shamloo, Sohrab Sepehri, Mehdi Akhavan-Sales, Shams Langaroudi and Ali Moallem are among the most well-known poets whose works are included in the book.

The poems have been selected by Iranian poets Alireza Qazveh, Mostafa Alipur and Mohammad Javad Aseman.

The collection gives powerful insight into Iranian society. From God and nature to love and sorrow; from indulgence and denial to the subconscious and the abstract; the poems touch upon various aspects of human existence and emotions.

Rupa Publications in India has published the work in 120 pages and will release 10,000 copies of the book on the first day of March.

Delhi-based Aziz Mahdi is a poet, writer and translator. He holds a PhD in Persian language and literature from University of Tehran and is an expert on the Indo-Iranian linkages in literature and culture. He taught at the Department of Indian Studies, University of Tehran, for nearly five years.

Mahdi has authored five books, three poetry collections and translated ten books into Hindi, English and Urdu. He is closely associated with the Tehran-based Sa’di Foundation and the Art Bureau (Hozeh Honari).