MOHAMMAD MOQADDAM, A PROSE POET by Dr. Farshad Sonboldel

The Iranian Studies Initiative at UC Santa Barbara and Farhang Foundation present: MOHAMMAD MOQADDAM, A PROSE POET, Introducing free verse into Persian poetry, a lecture by Dr. Farshad Sonboldel.

This talk focuses on the pioneering works of Mohammad Moqaddam (1909–1996), an influential experimentalist poet renowned for introducing prose poems to modern Persian poetry. Moqaddam's distinct contributions include his exploration of untraditional rhythmic systems. Drawing from American poetry, particularly the oeuvre of Walt Whitman (1819–1892), Moqaddam's poetic style exhibits a notable dialogue with this literary tradition. The presentation will initially delve into Moqaddam's life and experimental poetic practice, examining his engagement with American free verse. Subsequently, it will conduct an in-depth analysis of Moqaddam's prose poems, highlighting his innovative approach within the Persian tradition of versification.

This talk is drawn from "The Rebellion of Forms in Modern Persian Poetry," which focuses on selected poems chosen for their ability to exemplify significant experimental tendencies within pioneering movements and from individual poets across various periods. By analyzing both the formal and thematic dimensions of these poems, the book offers a fresh perspective on the narrative of modern Persian poetry, elucidating the interplay between radical aesthetic innovations in poetic practice and resistance against political and cultural hegemony within society.

About Dr. Farshad Sonboldel
Farshad Sonboldel is the World History and Cultures Librarian at the University of California, San Diego. He earned his Ph.D. in Modern Languages from the University of St. Andrews in the UK, following a Master's in Persian Language and Literature from the University of Tehran, Iran. In addition to his academic research background and publications in English, he is an award-winning poet, literary critic, and researcher in Persian literature.

He has published four books in Persian, including two collections of poems titled "Metropolis" (2015) and "She'r-e Boland-e Sharayet" (2019), a research monograph titled "Gozaresh-e Nahib-e Jonbesh-e Adabi-e Shahin: Tondar Kia" (2016) discussing the works of an avant-garde Persian poet from the first half of the twentieth century, and an edited volume on current trends in literary criticism in Persian literature titled "Naqd-e Irad." His recently published book, "The Rebellion of Forms in Modern Persian Poetry: Politics of Poetic Experimentation" (Bloomsbury Academic), explores the evolution of poetic forms in modern Persian poetry. Sonboldel is also the editor of MELA Notes, the journal of the Middle East Librarians' Association.

This talk was presented as part of the annual Farhang Foundation - UC Santa Barbara Iranian Studies Lecture Series.
To see all our current episodes in this series, please visit us at: https://farhang.org/ucsb