Acclaimed Iranian poet, author and university lecturer Mohammad Shams Langeroodi and mythologist, poet and writer Abolghasem Esmaeilpur, competed in the 5th Qinghai Lake International Poetry Festival in China.
The festival (Aug. 6-11), ‘Innovation of Poetic Language and Structure of Modern Poetry’, saw the participation of over 165 poets and critics from 37 countries, including the US, Austria, Iran, Bangladesh, Russia, Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Greece, Italy, Japan and Norway.
The opening ceremony was addressed by festival secretary, Chinese poet and politician Jidi Majia, American poet Jack Hershman, Esmaeilpur and a number of other poets, ISNA reported.
Langeroodi’s English poetry collection was presented at the event, attracting wide attention from the audience and the jury. He has researched extensively on different periods of Persian poetry, leading to the publication of ‘An Analytic History of Persian Modern Poetry’ in four volumes.
The festival also included fireworks and tribal poetry reading sessions in Hotel Xining and Culture Park of Xining city. Music performances, local dances and visits to tourist attractions, including art museums and Qinghai Lake, the largest saltwater lake in China located on the ‘Roof of the World,’ the Tibetan Plateau, were part of the event, which provided a platform to engage in cultural exchanges. Widely known as a tourist destination due to its size and alpine topography, the lake is also distinguished by cultural programs frequently organized on its shores.
Launched in 2007, the Qinghai festival has held four editions so far, attended by over 1000 poets from 160 countries.
Russian poet Alexander Semyonovich Kushner won this year’s Golden Tibetan Antelope award. At the previous edition, Syrian poet Adunis and Simon J. Ortiz, widely read native American poet, were the awardees.
