Martyrdom, Mysticism and Dissent

An original examination of the role of poetry during the Iranian Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War, this book offers insights into the use of Persian poetry to mobilise people to the front, to exalt violence and to present death as martyrdom. It analyses the poetry by revolutionaries, Diaspora and the opposition, showing how peaceful medieval Sufi metaphors are transformed into the reality of a modern war, and how Shiism clashes with Wahhabism. "From his own memories and expert research, the author gives us a ravishing account of 'a poetry stained with blood, violence and death'. His brilliantly layered analysis of modern Persian poetry shows how it integrates political and religious ideology and motivational propaganda with age-old mystical themes for the most traumatic of times for Iran." Alan Williams, Research Professor of Iranian Studies, University of Manchester "Asghar Seyed Gohrab's combines different cultural, religious, mystic, and political aspects of Iranian life to present a vivid picture and thorough analysis of the development and effect of what became known as the revolutionary poetry of the late 1970s and early 1980s. It is a thoughtful book and a fantastic read." Kamran Talattof, Professor for Persian and Iranian Studies, University of Arizona