Two examples of speakers who permanently turn their face away from the audience, thus failing to build a good relationship with the people in the lecture hall.

 These scientists did it beter by looking most of the time towards the audience.

The idea of Persia has long fascinated Western minds. From the Middle Ages on, knowledge of Persia gradually expanded as a result of increased contact through trade, travel and diplomacy. Writers in Europe, such as Goethe, Chaucer, Dante and Shakespeare, reflected this understanding in the parallels with Persian literature and shared symbolism evident in their plays, poetry and prose.

Love and devotion showcases a rich selection of manuscripts from the world-renowned collection of the Bodleian Libraries of the University of Oxford, along with rare works from the State Library of Victoria and other Australian collections.

Two Princess: Miniature, Bodleian Collection

The exhibition celebrates the beauty of Persian manuscripts and the stories of human and divine love told through their pages from the early 11th century on.

Romantic tales were copied and sometimes reinterpreted over time, and reached far beyond the borders of Iran. The universal themes of Persian narrative and mystical poetry appealed especially to audiences in Mughal India and Ottoman Turkey, and eventually to audiences in the West. Transcending time and place, these stories continue to resonate today and to be retold through contemporary literature and popular culture.

Persian poetry from the secular tradition flourished in the princely courts of Iran, where illustrated manuscripts were crafted for elite patrons. Today, these provide viewers with the opportunity to experience examples of Persian calligraphy, illumination and miniature painting from the 13th to 18th centuries, one of the richest periods in the history of the book. Many stories from this period were embraced not only in the princely courts but in all sectors of society, told within families and at community gatherings.

Court Francais in Tehran

Ghazal, my Dear,
We recently discussed the issue of translating poetry from one language to another. You told me ones that in Persian language there are no gender specific prepositions, as there are HE and SHE in English or IT for all un-animated items. In German, in contrast, also un-animated objects usually are assigned a male or female gender, which has its roots in very ancient understanding of the world and the role of all devine creations. So if a poem is translated from German to English, the natural gender of un-animated objects is lost, cause they all turn neutral in English (LOST IN TRANSLATION).
But, this is what my british colleague told me about the common practice of assigning a gender to unanimated objects in poetry. Whether you choose male or female depends not simply on the context, but on the “character” that this item carries. So I guess if the poem is about a gently blowing summer wind, this will be a SHE, but if it is about a horrible thunderstorm, this must be a HE.
A nice, colourful, delicate and well-smelling flower will most likely be assigned a female gender. But if the poem is about a carnovourous plant, ugly looking and nastly smelling, it would be more appropriate to assigned it a male gender.
Unless, of course, an american trash musical such as “Little Shop of Horrors” introduces a man-eating nasty plant and calls it “Audrey II” (where – I guess – this conflict between expectation and reality is crucial for the humor).
There are some fixed cases of assigned gender: The Sea is always male, whereas ships are always female. In contrast to German, where the Sea is female (but the Ocean is male (?), and ships are neutral.
So british poetry, like the british character in general, takes a very pragmatic position, in contrast to German, where you have to follow the rules of grammar, does not matter whether you write a sonett or a car damage report.

best regards, TAKE CARE , Michael

Recently I was invited by a friend in Munich to a reading of poetry by an Iranian writer, who died much too young in 1967, only reaching 32 years of age. Forugh Farrokhzad (1935-1967) was exceptional among woman in modern Persian literature, since only an extremely small number of Iranian women in general have achieved anything outside of the home without dependence upon a relationship with a man or male patronage.

From the poems of Forough Farrokhzad, which Kianoosh presented this evening I remember the verses from “Another Birth”

… Life may be that cloistered moment
When my gaze comes to ruin in your pupils
Wherein there lies a feeling
Which I shall blend …

During her short life, Forough not only wrote some of the most influential, beautiful and ever-lasting poetries of modern Persian literature, but she also became a proponent of childrens right, in particular for those from the poor families. Her engagement for the children being isolated and hospitalized for leprosis laid in her honest sympathy with those who are suffering. Unlike modern celebrities, who too often present themself in public with an alibi “social” project, Foroughs activites to help the children with leprosis came from her very personal desire to make the world a little bit better.

From the movie “Moon, Sun, Flower, Play” by the German director Claus Strigel one can listen to Foroughs voice, hear how colleagues and friends remember this extraordinary woman and watch scenes from the street-battle preceding the Shahs dismissal and from the childrens leprosis hospital.

Bahareh Hedayat has been sentenced again to 7 years in the notorious Evin prison. The following letter she send to her husband. I have collected translations of this and other prisoner letters into various languages at the partner website Evin-Rosetta If you want to read other than the following german version, or if you want to contribute a translation into your own language follow the aformentioned link.

Ich sehne mich nach Deiner stillen Umarmung

Ich würde gern wissen, wo Du jetzt bist,
Und wie Dein Tag vergeht,
nachdem Du aufstehst,
und Dich wäscht.
Ich möchte wissen, was Du trägst,
wen Du morgens zur Arbeit gehst,

Ob Dir langweilig ist,
oder Du erschöpft bist,
oder müde oder ob Dich friert.
Der Wind, der durch die Gitterstäbe weht,
Trägt den Staub der Stadt herein.
Spürst Du das auch,
Wenn Du zu Hause die Fenster öffnest ?

Ist es noch dunkel,
Wenn Du morgens das Haus verlässt,
Und Dich auf den Weg zur Arbeit machst ?
Ist das Licht im Treppenhaus immer noch kaputt ?
Warum denke ich gerade daran,
obwohl mir die Erinnerungen an unser Haus langsam verblassen.
Ich habe vergessen, welche Farbe seine Mauern hatten,
Und auch wenn Du mich versuchst daran zu erinnern,
In meiner Vorstellung werden sie doch wieder grau.

Nur Deine stille Umarmung wird mich wieder erlösen von diesen Alpträumen.

BAHAR, 9.Juni 2011, EVIN Gefängniss

Bahareh Hedayat ist eine iranische Studentin, Aktivistin für Frauenrechte, Mit-Initiatorin der 1Million-Unterschriften-Kampagne sowie Sprecherin und Zentralrats-Mitglied von Daftar Tahkim Vahdat. Sie wurde am 9.Juli 2007 festgenommen, und am 9.August des selben Jahres auf Bewährung entlassen. 2008 wurde Sie erneut vorübergehend verhaftet. Seit 2010 ist sie im berüchtigten EVIN Gefängniss (Abteilung 209) eingekerkert. Die Abteilung 28 des Revolutionsgerichtes setzte Ihre Haftstrafe auf  neun einhalb Jahre fest.

Den oben wiedergegeben Brief an ihren Mann Amin Ahmadiyan (Mitglied der Islamischen Studentenverbindung) konnte Sie kürzlich aus dem Gefängniss herausschmuggeln. Er verleiht ihren Gedanken, Ängsten und Wünschen, vor allem aber ihrer Liebe zu Amin Ausdruck. Die deutsche Version folgt einer englischen Übersetzung von M.P.D.

Source www.iranian.com

I would highly appreciate if you would add my blog to your directory.
I called it “Letter to an Persian Cat”

If you will see, it is totally un-political, it has to do with cats (mainly as an aphorism), and I am not iranian nor had I ever the chance to visit your country. Why do I want you anyhow to add it to your list ?

It is the record of an utopia that I almost lost my mind in during summer 2010 (I guess many people in Iran also think of a free Iran, that is currently an utopia). It has to do with the encounter between me, a university teacher and scientist and a student, who was born in Sweden to Iranian parents. I have to admitt, that I feel a strong attraction to her, but try to keep it on an spiritual base (Ha ha, I can hear your laughter).
Any how, you might say it is a story of an unlucky love like there are millions elsewhere in the world. The reason, though, why this blog should be listed is the following: I know your struggle for freedom in Iran, and I very much feel with you. I remember I went through a quite similar time in 1988/1989 in east Germany / GDR. I was pretty much involved in the movement for liberalisation and against the oppression by the single ruling party and the secret service. Looking back from now to these two years, I have the feeling that they were a wasted time of my life: I don”t remember a single book that I red, no concert or theater I went to, no long friendship or love-affairs. These two years were completely devoted (and lost) to a political fight againts idiots like the police, secret service, party officials. I can tell you, I was happy when everything was over (although the new west-german rulers were also a shame) and I had time again and regained mental power for the real important things in live, for culture, music, love, philosophy, for my job as a scientist, and the possibility to reflect about us, the universe, and where we all came from and why we fall in love.
Political fight is sometimes unavoidable (like in Iran right now), but be carefull not to turn it into the most important purpose of your life.
After it will be over, and I hope of course with a new tolerant gouvernment, remember the old values of Persia: arts, poetry, music and science.
Than I”m absolutely positive your country will have a great future. And try to settle your controversy with Israel. If both of you find a peaceful relation, this will be a strong alliance, and nobody in middle-east will dare to fool you, not the US nor the arabs.

Good luck, Take Care

Yours “Radius of the Persian Cat”