Description

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Simin Behbahani's collection contains some of the most formative work of twentieth-century Persian literature. Written over almost a half-century, much of her poetry reflects the traumatic experiences that have shaped Iranian history: revolution and war. Behbahani balances artful inquiry and shocking realism in both her language and imagery to probe the depths of political, cultural, and moral oppression. In the traditional verse of the ghazal, she improvises with meter to echo and provide new interpretations.

About the Author

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Simin Behbahani (1927-2014) was a celebrated poet, lyricist, and activist. She received the Simon de Beauvoir Prize for Women's Freedom in 2009 and was nominated twice for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Farzaneh Milani is professor of Persian literature and studies in women and gender at the University of Virginia. She is the author of Veils and Words: The Emerging Voice of Iranian Women Writers and Words, Not Swords: Iranian Women Writers and the Freedom of Movement. Kaveh Safa has taught courses in anthropology and Persian at the Universities of Virginia and Chicago.