Simin Behbahani

Simin Beh'bahāni ["Simin" (سیمین) is the Persian word for "Silvery", "Lustrous" or "Fair", and "Behbahani" (بهبهانی), From Behbahan, refers to the people of Behbahan, a city in the Khuzestan Province of Iran.] (Persian: سیمین بهبهانی) (born July 20 , 1927, Tehran, Iran) is one of the most prominent figures of the modern Persian literature and one of the most outstanding amongst the contemporary Persian poets. She is Iran's national poet and an icon of the Iranian intelligentsia and literati who affectionately refer to her as "the lioness of Iran". [Fatemeh Keshavarz, "Banishing the Ghosts of Iran", The Chronicle Review of Higher Education, Vol. 53, No. 45, p. B6 (13 July 2007). [http://chronicle.com/temp/reprint.php?id=sl8sg6vbqmx5djhq3ps40y17gvvx6scz] ]

Simin Behbahani, whose real name is Simin Khalili [Behbahani is thus her literary pseudonym.] (سيمين خليلي), is the daughter of Abbās Khalili (عباس خلیلی), poet, writer and Editor of the "Eghdām" (Action) newspaper, [Abbās Khalili, [http://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B3_%D8%AE%D9%84%DB%8C%D9%84%DB%8C Persian Wikipedia] .] and Fakhr-e Ozmā Arghun (فخرعظمی ارغون), poet and teacher of the French language. [Fakhr-e Ozmā Arghun, [http://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%81%D8%AE%D8%B1%D8%B9%D8%B8%D9%85%DB%8C_%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%BA%D9%88%D9%86 Persian Wikipedia] .] Abbās Khalili (1893-1971) wrote poetry in both Persian and Arabic and translated some 1100 verses of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh into Arabic. [Abbās Khalili, "ibid."] Fakhr-e Ozmā Arghun (1898-1966) was one of the progressive women of her time and a member of "Kānun-e Nesvān-e Vatan'khāh" (Association of Patriotic Women) between 1925 and 1929. In addition to her membership of "Hezb-e Democrāt" (Democratic Party) and "Kānun-e Zanān" (Women's Association), she was for a time (1932) Editor of the "Āyandeh-ye Iran" (Future of Iran) newspaper. She taught French at the secondary schools "Nāmus", "Dār ol-Mo'allemāt" and "No'bāvegān" in Tehran. [Fakhr-e Ozmā Arghun, "ibid."]

Simin Behbahani started writing poetry at twelve and published her first poem at the age of fourteen. She used the "Char Pareh" style of Nima Yooshij and subsequently turned to "ghazal".

Behbahani contributed to a historic development by adding theatrical subjects and daily events and conversations to poetry using the "ghazal" style of poetry. She has expanded the range of the traditional Persian verse forms and has produced some of the most significant works of the Persian literature in 20th century.

She is president of The Iranian Writers' Association and was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1997.

Notes and References

Awards and honors

* Human Rights Watch Hellman-Hammet Grant (1998)
* Carl von Ossietzky Medal (1999)
* Nomination for Nobel (2006)

Poetical Works

*The Broken Lute [Seh-tar-e Shekasteh, 1951]
*Footprint [Ja-ye Pa, 1954]
*Chandelier [Chelcheragh, 1955]
*Marble [Marmar, 1961]
*Resurrection [Rastakhiz, 1971]
*A Line of Speed and Fire [Khatti ze Sor'at va Atash, 1980]
*Arzhan Plain [Dasht-e Arzhan, 1983]
*Paper Dress [Kaghazin Jameh, 1992]
*A Window of freedom [Yek Daricheh Azadi, 1995]
*Collected Poems [Tehran 2003]
*Maybe It’s the Messiah [Shayad ke Masihast, Tehran 2003] Selected Poems, translated by Ismail Salami
*A Cup of Sin, Selected poems, translated by Farzaneh Milani and Kaveh Safa

See also

* Forough Farrokhzad
* Parvin E'tesami
* Pegah Ahmadi

* Iranian women
* List of famous Persian women
* Intellectual Movements in Iran
* Persian women's movement
* One Million Signatures

External links

* [http://www.iranchamber.com/literature/sbehbahani/simin_behbahani.php Biography of Simin Behbahani]
* [http://magazine.artistswithoutfrontiers.com/content/view/60/47/ Simin Behbahani, the greatest Persian lyricist of the modern age]
* [http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/fileadmin/w3his/Events/SiminBehbahaniToronto.pdf An International Symposium on The Life and Poetry of Simin Behbahani]
* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/09/AR2006060902025.html A Poet Who 'Never Sold Her Pen or Soul']
* Simin Behbahani reads poetry at SOAS, University of London, 6 February 2005, "YouTube", [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08VVWtffcik&feature=related (Part 1)] , [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Scn-l79dKnU (Part 2)] .
* Sārā Ommat-e Ali, "Simin Behbahani: I am alive", in Persian, "Sarmāyeh" [Capital] Newspaper ("Ruz'nāmeh-ye Sarmāyeh"). Reprinted in: Association of the Iranian Women ("Kānun-e Zanān-e Irani"), Wednesday 5 December 2007, [http://www.irwomen.org/spip.php?article4977] .
* Shahāb Mirzāi, "A Line Made From Swiftness and Fire" ("Khatti ze Sor'at va Ātash"), in Persian, Jadid Online, 2008, [http://www.jadidonline.com/story/17072008/frnk/simin_behbahani] .
"A slide show of photographs with text spoken by Simin Behbahani", Jadid Online, 2008: [http://www.jadidonline.com/images/stories/flash_multimedia/Simin_behbahani_test/simin_high.html] (3 min 56 sec).