Forough

 

An icon of Iranian culture, Forough Farrokhzad (1935-1967) was one Iran’s foremost poets and a central figure in the modernist movement that transformed Iranian literature in the 50s and 60s. Her five books of poetry stand at the intersection of some of the most contentious issues in 20th century Iranian history: individualism and tradition, sexuality and religion, nationalism and modernity.

Despite censorship since the Iranian Revolution of 1979, Farrokhzad’s poems continue to attract a wide readership in Iran, having sold over one million copies to date. Her legacy has also reached to the Iranian diaspora. Forty years after her death, she continues to inspire Iranian immigrant artists across a broad range of disciplines including poetry, drama, photography and film.