Articles

Speaking in the voice of a generation ,Mansor Pooyan

Ali Abdolrezaei began to concentrate on poetry in 1986 and has continued to write prolifically ever since. His poetry is both a continuation of the experimentation championed by Persian writers of the modernist period (1950–1979), and a reaction against traditionalist ideas implicit in classical Persian literature.

He was able to publish seven volumes of his work inside Iran. His last four poetry collections, published on the internet, mark a poetic as well as a literary watershed. With an additional volume of poetry awaiting publication, he is the most controversial of Iranian literary figures, both inside and outside the country. His poetry has challenged traditional Persian poetic language and has exerted a decisive influence on post-Revolution Iranian literature. Focusing on the feelings of anxiety, isolation and the sense of loss felt by Iranians, Abdolrezaei’s work places contemporary Iranian literature on the world stage and creates a greater opportunity for new Iranian voices to contribute to discussion about these challenging times. During the last fifteen years, his influence has extended across Persian poetic territories in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan.

In all cases, between the poem as it is, and what we want it to be, there is a lag. Should this gap be removed?

Calling on London Skool - that avant garde band of multi-lingual poets and critics, who aim to generate poetry and text from hybridisation of languages, genres and lifestyles in order to endanger the tranquillity of norms and shake up the standards of the literary genre, to propose the new directions in the Risk – to endanger to engender poetry.

In Parham Shahrjerdi's opinion, “this gap should not be removed. Otherwise, the poem changes its nature, becomes distorted. That is what we must discuss. Have we the right to distort the poem, voluntarily or involuntarily, for easy reading? To bring it whole in “our world?”

The issue is one that arises in the context of London Skool's activities to globalise poetry on a fair trade basis, between Persian and English, French, German, Turkish, etc. through translation and analysis; delivering that spirit of Risk in a collage of poetry, literary theory, imagery, fantasy, voices, music, exile, before and long after.

Obliterature - or obliteration of celebrity

Literature? Letter? The literate, man of letters? Lets forget about literature, lets proceed to unliterature, obliterature, lets renew the old in favour of a neo-literature. Because this literature is so much politeness (as Adabiat, the Persian word for literature implies), so much nicety and etiquette that keeps literature pure and orderly? So much reactivity? So much stagnant gratification? Shall we think of the gratification of stasis, of stagnant literature, literary gratification in stagnant waters? No! This literature is finishing. This literature finishes.

The authors of this neat and tidy Iranian literature advance in the service of an order (a moral order, a religious, a political order) of a regime, as their Persian literature retreats further and further backwards.

The Iranian literary regime chases after itself in a protected zone - a literary protectorate. Thus writers of this Iranian literature become law enforcers in the process of abiding by the law. One is not to defect the protectorate, not to take language beyond its neat and tidy boundary. So you don't cross the line - you stagnate.

Order and fear meet at a point: you fear transgressing, you fear you are disorderly, you're afraid to ruin the make up on this order, you're afraid of sticking out a sore thumb, afraid of change, of the unknown, afraid of risk and risking it, afraid of being afraid.

As such, perhaps there never was a "literature" but treatises and paginations and illusions. End this illusion, we must.