Behzad Khajat

Behzad Khajat is an emeritus Assistant Professor and a leading scholar of modern Persian poetry. He is the author of the “Symbolism” entry in the Encyclopedia of the Persian Language and has played a foundational role—alongside a select group of poets—in shaping the poetic movement known as “Poetry of the 1370s/1990s” in Iran. His poetry has been translated into multiple languages. 

To date, he has published 14 poetry collections and two scholarly books: Rumāntīsīsm-i īrānī: ‌Barʹrasī-i jaryān-i rumāntīk dar shiꜥr-i imrūz-i fārsī (Iranian Romanticism: A study of the romantic movement in modern Persian poetry) published by Bāmdād-i Naw in 1391/2012 and Munāziꜥah dar pīrahan: Bāzʹkhvānī-i shiꜥr-i dahah-ʾi haftād (Conflict in the shirt: An analysis of the poetry of the 1990s) published by Rasish, 1381/2002. He has also written extensively on avant-garde trends in contemporary Iranian poetry, with notable articles including “Buhrān-i huviyyat dar shiʿr-i pustʹmudirnīstī-i Īrān” (Identity crisis in Iranian Postmodernist poetry), “Darāmadī bar gharībʹnamāʾī dar shiʿr-i pasāʹmudirnīstī-i Īrān” (Defamiliarization in postmodern poetry), “Rumāntīsmʹsipārī dar shiʿr-i Furūgh Farrukhʹzād” (Post-Romanticism in the poetry of Furūgh Farrukhzād),” and “ʿAvāmil-i ījād-i ibhām dar shiʿr-i muʿāsir-i Fārsī” (Factors contributing to ambiguity in modern Persian poetry). 

Khajat has been awarded the Houshang Golshiri Foundation Prize and the Nima Yushij Prize for literary criticism. 

Contributions

Key Characteristics of Iranian Women’s Poetry in the 1370s/1990s

Introduction The 1370s/1990s marked a significant turning point in contemporary Iranian poetry, characterized by a bold departure from established norms…