Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

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An Iranian woman walks past a mural on a street in the northwest of the capital Tehran, on October 19, 2015. (AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE)

Iran media bid farewell to a great “lover”

by Amir Taheri | Oct 28, 2015 | Lifestyle & Culture

London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Last month, tens of thousands gathered in Tabriz, capital of East Azerbaijan province, to bid farewell to a man described as “perhaps the greatest Ashik of his generation.” The funeral of Rasoul Ghorbani, who died in late September aged 80,...

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A handout picture made available on 24 June 2015 by the Supreme leader official website shows Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaking during a meeting with Iranian government in Tehran, Iran on June 23, 2015. (EPA/SUPREME LEADER OFFICIAL WEBSITE)

When the Ayatollah Dictates Poetry

by Amir Taheri | Jul 11, 2015 | Lifestyle & Culture

“There are hands at work to lead our young poets away from their epic revolutionary mission, putting them in the service of a corrupt culture.” This is how last Monday night Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Islamic Republic’s “Supreme Guide,” revealed his latest concern....

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The Poet’s Dilemma: Spirit of Culture and Body of Language

by Amir Taheri | Apr 22, 2015 | Book Reviews

[inset_left]Child: New and Selected Poems 1991–2011Mimi KhalvatiCarcanet Press, 170 pagesManchester, 2011[/inset_left] By all accounts, poetry is the most intimate form of literary self-expression. So, it is no surprise that poets constantly look for a cultural...

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Iranian poet Simin Behbahani speaks at the “Yes to peace, No to war” conference in Tehran, in this file picture taken November 19, 2007. (Reuters/Morteza Nikoubazi)

Simin Behbahāni: The Woman who Reshaped Persian Poetry

by Amir Taheri | Sep 7, 2014 | Lifestyle & Culture

London, Asharq Al-Awsat—One of the myths prevalent in literary circles across the globe today is that poets write their best work between the ages of 17 and 30. In other words, poetry is the fruit of the tree of youth. In real life, however, the muse can visit...

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Palestinian poet Samih Al-Qasim reads a poem during a literary evening in Tunis on September 24, 2008. (AFP Photo/Fethi Belaid)

Arab literary world mourns Palestinian poet Samih Al-Qasim

by Jamal Al-Qassas and Mazin Mujawaz | Aug 22, 2014 | Lifestyle & Culture

Cairo and Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—Arab literary figures in Egypt and Lebanon paid tribute to the great Palestinian poet Samih Al-Qasim, who died on Tuesday at the age of 75 at Safed Hospital in Israel, after a long battle with cancer. Qasim was a prominent Palestinian...