Mehdi Akhavan-Sales

Mehdi Akhavān-Sāles, or Akhavān-Sāless (; 1 March 1929 in Mashhad, Iran – 26 August 1990 in Tehran, Iran), pen name Mim. Omid was a prominent modern Iranian poet. He is one of the pioneers of Free Verse (New Style Poetry) in the Persian Poetry.

Biography Mehdi Akhavan Sales was born on 1 March 1929, in Mashhad, Khorasan province. His father, Ali, was originally from Fahraj in Yazd province, he was an apothecary (ʿaṭṭār), and his mother, Maryam, was a native of Khorasan. Akhavan Sales had to give up an interest in music to appease his father. He finished his elementary education in Mashhad and studied welding in the city's Technical School (honarestān) in 1941.

Akhavan’s second poetry collection named Zemestān (Winter) was published in 1956.

As Abdolali Dastgheib, literary critic writer puts it: Mehdi Akhavan-Sales benefitted from ancient treasures of Persian literature and was able to skillfully combine the old, traditional style with modern or even, everyday words to create some of the best works of Iranian poetry. His later works have a rich style and are a symbolic portrait of political and social atmosphere of the time. For example, his famous poem ‘Winter (Zemestān زمستان, 1956)’ which was written shortly following the coup against Iranian popular and liberal prime minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, and the suppression of freedom by the Shah’s government, shows his despair and loss of hope. In this poem, even close friends are not extending hands to each other or talking as “the cold is severely bitter”. Mehdi Akhavan Sales is one of the best contemporary Persian poets. He is one of the pioneers of Free Verse (New Style Poetry) in Persian literature, particularly of modern style epics who has introduced a fresh style into Persian poetry.

Works Poetry Organ (Arghanoon ارغنون, 1951) Winter (Zemestān زمستان, 1956) The Ending of Shahnameh (Ākhare Shāhnāmeh, آخر شاهنامه, 1959) From This Avesta (Az In Avestā, 1965, از اين اوستا) The Hunting Poems (Manzoomeye Shekār, 1966) Autumn in Prison (Pāeez dar Zendān, 1969) Love Lyrics and Azure (Aasheghānehā va Kabood, عاشقانه ها و کبود, 1969) Best Hope (Behtarin Omid, 1969) Selected Poems (Ghozideh-ye Ash-ār, 1970) In the Autumn's Small Yard in Prison (Dar Hayāte Koochak Pāeez dar Zendān, در حياط کوچک پاييز در زندان, 1976) Hell, but Cold (Duzakh Amma Sard, 1978) Life Says: Still We Must Live (Zendegi Migooyad Amma Bāz Bayad Zist, زندگي مي گويد: اما بايد زيست, 1978) O You Ancient Land, I Love Thee (Torā Ay Kohan Boom o Bar Doost Dāram, تو را اي کهن بوم و بر دوست دارم, 1989)

Other Books I Saw Susa (Shush-rā Didam, 1972) They Say That Ferdowsi (Guyand Ki Ferdowsi, 1976) An Ancient Tree and the Forest (Derakhti pir va jangal, درخت پير و جنگل, 1977) And Now a New Spring (Inak Bahar-i Digar, 1978) Fight on, O Hero (Bejang, Ey Pahlavān, 1978) Nima Yushij's Innovations and Aesthetics (Bed'athā va Badāye'i Nimā Yushij, بدعت ها و بدايع نيما يوشيج, 1979) Nima Yushij's Bequest (Atā va Laqā-i Nimā Yushij, عطا و لقاي نيما يوشيج, 1983)