In 1980, a new wall went up between two worlds, and although it wasn't a physical barrier like the one splitting Berlin in half, over the years it has just as successfully cut the West off from Iran as if it were an actual presence. The fall of the American backed Shah of Iran, the takeover of the American Embassy in that country, and the subsequent severing of all relations between the new regime and North American governments has resulted in turning those on either side of the wall into a one-dimensional enemy whose every work and deed are to be denounced.
Mistrust between the Muslim world and the West is nothing new of course, but in the past there has at least been times when there has been mutual recognition and appreciation of cultural achievements. Now, however, we live in a culture of such absolutes that, for the majority of us, the other is nothing more than a faceless enemy incapable of doing anything of value.
While it's true that the poetry of Rumi, the great Sufi mystic of the Middle Ages, enjoyed a burst of popularity in the West in the nineties, little or nothing is known of poetry from the last hundred years. It's like we have tarred all of modern Iran with the same brush, and even those who predate the current theocracy can't escape that censorship.
But even the tightest seal can develop leaks and thanks largely to the efforts of expatriate Iranians, occasional glimpses are to be had of some truly unique talents. A new offering from Iranian-American composer Shahrokah Yadegari, Green Memories, on the Lila Sound label, does just that by offering American audiences an introduction to the poetry of Forugh Farrokhzad. Combining the structure of classical Iranian music with computer software that transforms acoustic instruments into melodies and textures, Yadegari has collaborated with fellow expatriates, vocalist Azam Ali and violinist Keyavash Nourai, to create a series of ambient soundscapes that reflect the emotional texture of one of Farrokhzad's most powerful poems, "I Pity The Garden (Green Memories)."
Forugh Farrokhzad was born in 1935 and was well on her way to establishing herself as a major poet when a car accident cut her life short in 1967. During her short life she published five collections of poetry, produced a documentary film about a leper colony, and was the subject of two documentary films.
Article comments
1 - BiBiJon
Thank you for your blog. A pleasure to read.