Mohammad-Reza Shafiei Kadkani is a prominent Iranian poet, literary critic, editor, translator, and scholar of Persian literature. Writing under the pen name Sirishk, he is a Professor of literature at the University of Tehran, where he has taught courses on poetry and literary criticism for many years. Although Kadkani is celebrated for his modern poetry, he began his career writing in the classical form of ghazal, which features rhyming couplets and a refrain. He published his first poetry collection, Zimzimah-ha (Whispers), in 1965. In addition to his critical writings, Kadkani has published books on the art and imagination of poetry, compiled and edited classical Persian works, including major works of Attar, and produced a comprehensive three-volume study on Hafez. His own poems, first published in local Khorasan outlets, include internationally recognized pieces such as “Safar bih khayr” (happy journey). Kadkani’s dual excellence as both poet and scholar marks him as a rare figure in Persian literary history, and he is often hailed as the preeminent living poet of the Persian language.