Qeysar Aminpour
قیصر امینپورThe leading poet of the generation that came of age with the revolution and the war, and a master of short, clear lines.
- Known for
- Dastur-e Zaban-e Eshq (The Grammar of Love), 2007
- Forms
- New poetry (she'r-e now), Ghazal, Roba'i, Do-beyti
- Collection
- Contemporary
Qeysar Aminpour was born in Gotvand, in Khuzestan in south-western Iran, and moved to Tehran as a student. He became one of the central figures of the poets who emerged after the revolution of 1979 and during the Iran–Iraq war of 1980–88, and much of his early work is shaped by that war, which was fought across his home province.
He wrote in the ghazal and the short quatrain forms, the roba'i and the folk do-beyti, as well as in Nima's new poetry, and became known for plain diction, clear images and lines that read simply but stay in the mind. Many of his poems were written for, or taken up by, young readers.
He taught Persian literature at the University of Tehran and was a member of the Academy of Persian Language and Literature. His later poems turn inwards, towards love, illness and the passing of time. He died in Tehran in 2007, aged 48, and is buried in Gotvand.
Aminpour's poems are in copyright. We publish them only with permission from the rights holders; until then we write about the work.
Booksکتابها
The principal works of Qeysar Aminpour.
The Breath of Morning
تنفس صبحHis first collection, poems of the early years after the revolution and of the war, in both classical forms and Nima's new manner. It made him one of the best-known voices of a new generation, and showed how the old forms could carry the urgency of the present without losing their music.
The Grammar of Love
دستور زبان عشقHis last collection, published in the year of his death. Short, quiet poems about love, language, illness and time, playful with grammar and words, and among his most widely read books. Many readers took it as a farewell, and it was reprinted many times in the years after his death.
Qeysar Aminpour in Iranian history
Iranian historyThe Pahlavi century and afterدوران پهلوی و پس از آن
Two Pahlavi shahs built railways, universities and a centralised state, while poets, novelists and film-makers created a new Persian culture. The era ended with the revolution of 1979.