TEHRAN – “Shahriar and the Revolution of Nation”, a book containing a selection of poems on the Islamic Revolution by contemporary Iranian poet Mohammad-Hossein Behjat Tabrizi Shahriar who was known by his pseudonym Shahriar, was unveiled during a ceremony at the Niavaran Cultural Center in Tehran on Saturday.

The book, which also contains a selection of his handwritings and a few rarely-seen photos of the poet, has been published by the Iz Publications in collaboration with the Shahriar Research Foundation.

Attended by a number of cultural scholars including veteran poet Seyyed Ali Musavi Garmarudi, the ceremony began with short speeches followed by a screening of “Companion”, a documentary by Hamed Khosroshahi on Shahriar.

Shahriar, who also composed works in Azerbaijani, was mainly influenced by the poetry of Hafez. He published his first book of poems in 1929, with prefaces by Persian literature scholars Mohammad-Taqi Bahar, Saeid Nafisi and Pejman Bakhtiari.

“Heidar Babaya Salam” is Shahriar’s most famous Azerbaijani poetry collection, which highlights his birthplace, the village of Heidar Baba.

Iranians commemorate Shahriar on the anniversary of his death, September 18, which is also Iran’s National Day of Poetry and Literature.

Photo: Scholars hold copies of “Shahriar and the Revolution of Nation” in a ceremony held by Tehran’s Niavaran Cultural Center on December 10, 2017 to unveil the book. 

RM/MMS/YAW