Mehdi Akhavan-Sales

Mehdi Akhavan-Sales (also -Saless) (مهدی اخوان ثالث)‎ (1928 – 1990) (pen name M. Omid: م. امید) was a prominent Iranian poet.

Life

Akhavan Sales was born in 1928 in Mashhad, Iran. He gave up an interest in music to appease his father and turned to poetry. He wrote his first poem at the age of 17, and was bestowed the pen-name "Omid" (Hope) by the principal of the local literary society.

In 1947, he completed training as a welder and a year later relocated to Tehran and began teaching. In 1950 he married his paternal cousin, Iran Akhavan Saless, and the following year, in 1951 published his first collection of poems entitled "Organ" (Arghanoon).

The 1940s was a decade of political resurgence in Iran following the end of Reza Shah's rule. Akhavan too was naturally drawn to political activities, and in 1951 headed the literary page of the paper "Young Democrats" (Javanan Democrat). It was here that he became acquainted with other young poets of the day, including Siavash Kasraie, Hushang Ebtehaj (H.A. Sayeh), Ahmad Shamlou, Nosrat Rahmani and others. After the 1953 coup d'etat that toppled the government of prime minister Mohammad Mossadegh he was imprisoned along with other political activists. His daughter Laleh, was born while he was in prison.

After his release from prison in 1957, he started work in radio, and soon after was transferred to Khouzestan to work in TV. Later on, he taught literature on radio and TV and at the university. After the 1979 Iranian Revolution he was granted membership to the Iranian Academy of Artists and Writers. In 1981 he was forced to retire from government service without pay. In 1990, following an invitation from the cultural organization in Germany, he travelled abroad for the first time. Few months after his return, he passed away at Mehr Hospital in Tehran. He is buried on the grounds of the mausoleum of Ferdowsi in Tus.

Poetry

Although Akhavan Sales's poetic career began as early as 1942, he did not acquire the degree of recognition necessary for breaking into the literary circles of his time until the publication of his third volume of poetry in 1956. Called "Zemestan" (Winter), this volume boosted Sales's career and placed him among the top runners for the mantle of Nima Yushij. In fact, for many circles, Nader Naderpur and Akhavan Sales were equally recognized as worthy successors of the Bard of Mazandaran. The fact that like Nima they both had started as traditionalists and had worked their way into new realms of New Poetry through individual initiative itself deserved praise for singular effort.

Akhavan's forte, like the bard of Tus, Ferdowsi, is epic; more precisely, he chooses themes of epical proportion and expresses them with the same zeal that Ferdowsi uses in the Shahnameh. The difference is that they write for two diametrically different audiences. Akhavan Sales need not engage his poetry in gavel by gavel battles of Iranian and Turanian chiefs. Rather, he can focus on the theme and illustrating aspects of it with diverse, often far-fetched similes, metaphors, and symbols.

Finally, Sales's language is complex. While translating his verse, one cannot ignore the impact of the internal rhyme, the interconnection of images seemingly disparate images, and the ubiquitous presence of the theme. Sales's "Winter," I believe, is a good example for understanding the depth of his conviction as well as the dexterity and the finesse that distinguish his compositions.

Works

Poetry

• Organ (Arghanoon ارغنون, 1951)
• Winter (Zemestan زمستان, 1956)
• The Ending of Shahnameh (Akhare Shahnameh آخر شاهنامه, 1959)
• From This Avesta (Az in Avesta از اين اوستا, 1965)
• The Hunt (Manzoomeye Shekar, 1966)
• Autumn in Prison (Paeez dar Zendan, 1969)
• Love Lyrics and Azure (Aasheghaneha va kabood عاشقانه ها و کبود, 1969)
• Best Hope (Behtarin omid, 1969)
• Selected Poems (Ghozideh-ye Ash-aar, 1970)
• In the Autumn's Small Yard in Prison (Dar hayate koochak paeez dar zendan در حياط کوچک پاييز در زندان, 1976)
• Hell, but Cold (Duzakh amma sard, 1978)
• Life Dictates: Still We Must Live (Zendegi migooyad amma baaz bayad zist زندگي مي گويد: اما بايد زيست, 1978)
• O You Ancient Land, I Love Thee (Tora aye kohan boom o bar doost daram تو را اي کهن بوم و بر دوست دارم, 1989)

Other Books

• I Saw Susa (Shush-ra 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 Pahlavan, 1978)
• Nima Yushij's Innovations and Aesthetics (Bed'atha va Badaye'I Nima Yushij بدعت ها و بدايع نيما يوشيج, 1979)
• Nima Yushij's Bequest (Ata va Laqa-i Nima Yushij عطا و لقاي نيما يوشيج, 1983)

External links

• Iran Chamber
• Peik-e Hafte (in Persian)
• A Brief Note on the Life of Mehdi Akhavan Sales by Iraj Bashiri