Melancholia #5

Forough Farrokhzad (1934–67), is known in Iran as one of the most influential female poets of the twentieth century. Challenging the traditional limits of Iranian literature and social norms, her work is celebrated for its unique blend of social commentary and personal reflection. Farrokhzad’s contributions to the world of cinema, particularly the documentary The House Is Black, highlight her legacy as a pioneering voice for change in Iran.

Yadollah Royai (1932–2022), a seminal figure in modern and experimental Iranian poetry, was the author of eight books of poetry and four books of essays and interviews. His writing is the subject of several works of criticism. Royai was named Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Culture and was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Kaveh Bassiri is an Iranian American writer and translator. He is the author of 99 Names of Exile (Newfound, 2019), winner of the Anzaldúa Poetry Prize, and Elementary English (Ahinga Press, 2020), winner of the Rick Campbell Chapbook Prize. His translations have appeared in the Chicago Review, The Common, Denver Quarterly, The Massachusetts Review, Two Lines, Colorado Review, and Guernica. Bassiri is the recipient of a 2022–23 Tulsa Artist Fellowship, a 2021 Arkansas Arts Council Fellowship, and a 2019 translation fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.