1. Abdolali Dastgheib, Iranian literary critic, argues that Ahmad Shamlou is one of the pioneers of modern Persian poetry and has had the greatest influence, after Nima, on Iranian poets of his era.
40 Facts About Ahmad Shamlou
1. 2.
Ahmad Shamlou's poetry is complex, yet his imagery, which contributes significantly to the intensity of his poems, is accessible.
3.
Ahmad Shamlou has translated extensively from French to Persian and his own works are translated into a number of languages.
4.
Ahmad Shamlou has written a number of plays, edited the works of major classical Persian poets, especially Hafez.
5.
Ahmad Shamlou's thirteen-volume Ketab-e Koucheh is a major contribution in understanding the Iranian folklore beliefs and language.
6.
Ahmad Shamlou wrote fiction and screenplays, contributing to children's literature, and journalism.
7.
Ahmad Shamlou was born to Haydar Shamlou and Kowkab Araqi on December 12,1925, in Rasht to an army family.
8.
Ahmad Shamlou was the second child and the only son in a family of six children.
9.
Ahmad Shamlou intended to attend the German-established Tehran Technical School, one of the best secondary schools of that period and learn the German language.
10.
Ahmad Shamlou was admitted to this school on the condition that he be demoted two years.
11.
At age 29, following the fall of Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq, Ahmad Shamlou was arrested for being a member of the communist Tudeh Party of Iran and imprisoned for more than one year.
12.
Ahmad Shamlou's debut work, Forgotten Songs, was a collection of classical and modern poetry which was published in 1947 with an introduction of Ebrahim Dilmaghanian.
13.
Ahmad Shamlou got a job in the Hungarian embassy as their cultural advisor.
14.
Ahmad Shamlou became the editor-in-chief of Bamshad literary magazine in 1956.
15.
Ahmad Shamlou rose to fame from his next volume of poetry, Fresh Air, published in 1957.
16.
Ahmad Shamlou began his third attempt to compile The Book of Alley.
17.
Ahmad Shamlou directed a few documentary films for television and published several short stories for children.
18.
Several audio cassettes were released of Ahmad Shamlou reciting other classical and modern poets' work.
19.
Ahmad Shamlou obtained membership in the Iranian Academy of Language.
20.
Ahmad Shamlou published several new translations and wrote a few film scripts.
21.
Ahmad Shamlou connects his poem to the collective consciousness of the whole world, presenting characters of the hero and even the social scapegoat rather in a curious way as we read about the case of a man who sacrifices himself for land and love and, yet, who is betrayed by others due to their ignorance and biases.
22.
Ahmad Shamlou participated in the San Francisco Poetry Festival before returning to Iran.
23.
Ahmad Shamlou left Iran in protest of the Shah's regime and stayed in the United States for a year, giving lectures in American universities.
24.
Ahmad Shamlou rejoined the Union of Iranian Writers and began publishing a new periodical, Ketab-e Jom'e to great success.
25.
Ahmad Shamlou was elected to the membership of the Writer's Union's leadership.
26.
Ahmad Shamlou was re-elected as a member of the Writer's Union's leadership.
27.
Ahmad Shamlou met Aida Sarkisian in the spring of 1962 and they were married two years later in 1964.
28.
Ahmad Shamlou became an instrumental figure in Shamlou's life, and they remained together until his death in 2000.
29.
Ahmad Shamlou's name appears in many of his later poems.
30.
Ahmad Shamlou underwent several operations, and in 1997, his right foot was amputated due to severe diabetic problems.
31.
Ahmad Shamlou died on Sunday, 23 July 2000, at 9 pm at his home in Dehkadeh Fardis in Karaj due to complications from his diabetes.
32.
Ahmad Shamlou's words have had the charisma and magic of a prophet.
33.
Ahmad Shamlou just lived and his life and words scattered through the minds and hearts of several generations of Iranian humanists and liberals, giving them hope, faith and aspiration.
34.
One of the disciples of Nima Youshij, Ahmad Shamlou, standing among the generation who adopted his techniques, constantly sought untried ways, new poetic realms.
35.
Ahmad Shamlou quickly became the flag bearer of young Iranian poets and writers that included Forough Farrokhzad, Sohrab Sepehri, Mehdi Akhavan Sales, Yadollah Roya'i, Nosrat Rahmani, and Nader Naderpour.
36.
Ahmad Shamlou is known for employing the style and words of the everyman.
37.
Ahmad Shamlou developed a simple, free poetic style, known in Iran as Sepid Persian Poetry, which is a kind of free verse that departs from the tightly balanced rhythm and rhymes of classical Persian poetry.
38.
Ahmad Shamlou's poems are filled with mythological concepts and symbols to glorify seemingly simple and ordinary figures who are politically condemned for their revolutionary beliefs that, regardless of governmental suppression, actually reflect the activists' deep love of their nation and people.
39.
Ahmad Shamlou was a Marxist and a socially minded intellectual who has woven personal love and affection together with his social attitudes.
40.
Ahmad Shamlou was a major force in the intellectual movement opposed to the former Shah of Iran before the 1979 revolution.