Nima Yooshij
Lioness of Iran and master of the modern ghazal.
Nima Yooshij (11 November 1895 – 6 January 1960), born Ali Esfandiari, is recognized as the father of modern Persian poetry. He revolutionized Persian verse by popularizing *she’r-e now* (new poetry), later called *she’r-e Nimaa’i* in his honor. Growing up in the village of Yush in Mazandaran, he was the eldest son of Ibrahim Nuri and had both Tabarian and Georgian heritage. His early life among shepherds and itinerant workers, and the stories of village and tribal conflicts, left lasting impressions that later emerged in his poetry. After a reluctant start in a traditional maktab, he was sent to Tehran’s St. Louis School at age twelve, where poet Nezam Vafa nurtured his talent. The contrast between rural life, urban society, and classical literary ideals gradually pushed him to break from tradition. Though he initially wrote in the style of Saadi and Hafez, he began replacing conventional devices with freer forms, as seen in transitional works like “Ay Shab” (O Night) and “Afsaneh” (Myth) from 1922. His first public attention came in 1921 with “The Tale of the Pale-Colored One,” which drew sharp criticism from traditionalists like Malek o-Sho’arā Bahar. His poetic revolution is widely dated to the 1938 publications of “The Phoenix” and “The Crow” in the journal *Musiqi*. Nima reformed Persian poetry by allowing line length to be determined by thought rather than fixed meters, and by emphasizing contemporary issues such as oppression over classical themes of love and beauty. He died of pneumonia in Shemiran and was buried in his native Yush.
- died
- 19 August 2014
- field
- Poetry
- nationality
- Iranian
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Simin Behbahani started writing poetry at twelve and published her first poem at the age of fourteen. She used the "Char Pareh" style of Nima Yooshij and subsequently turned to ghazal. She contributed to a historic development by adding theatrical subjects and daily events and conversations to poetry using the ghazal style. In early March 2010, as she was about to board a plane to Paris, police detained her and interrogated her "all night long." She was released but without her passport. Her English translator, Farzaneh Milani, expressed surprise at the arrest and detention, as Behbahani was then 82 and nearly blind: "we all thought that she was untouchable."
Reader's Guide
Behbahani's significance lies in expanding the range of traditional Persian verse forms, producing some of the most significant works of Persian literature in the 20th century. She was President of the Iranian Writers' Association and was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1999 and 2002. In 2013, she was awarded the Janus Pannonius Grand Prize for Poetry. During a protest gathering of the Iranian women's movement in Daneshjoo Park, she was attacked by police officers. She filed a complaint with the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran against the officer who had assaulted her, but according to her lawyer, Nasrin Sotoudeh, "the case was closed in the end." On 1 September 2008, she appeared at the Islamic Consultative Assembly to protest the proposed Family Protection Bill, telling a member of parliament: "Sir, I did not vote for you, because I do not even recognize your parliament, but I came here to tell you not to betray the people who voted for you. Do not allow a bill to pass that is against the women of Iran."
Did You Know?
- Simin Behbahani was born Siminbar Khalili on 20 July 1927.
- Her mother, Fakhr-Ozma Arghun, was a poet and teacher of French who taught at the Nāmus, Dār ol-Mo'allemāt and No'bāvegān secondary schools in Tehran.
- In 1988, during the mass execution of Iranian political and ideological prisoners, Behbahani composed a poem titled 'O Mothers'.
- She was hospitalized on 6 August 2014, remained in a coma until her death on 19 August 2014, and died in Tehran's Pars Hospital of pulmonary heart disease at the age of 87.
- Her funeral, attended by thousands, was held on 22 August in Vahdat Hall, and her body was buried at Behesht-e Zahra.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Nima Yooshij most famous for?
He founded the she'r-e now (new poetry) movement, also called She'r-e Nimaai, which shattered centuries of rigid classical form. Through this movement he brought free verse and fresh subject matter into the Persian literary tradition.
What is she'r-e now (new poetry)?
It is the free-verse, thematically modern movement in Persian poetry that Nima Yooshij pioneered, breaking away from the strict meter and rhyming patterns that had dominated for over a thousand years. The style is also referred to as She'r-e Nimaai in his honor.
Why is Nima Yooshij considered so important?
By dismantling millennium-old classical conventions and introducing free verse along with new thematic concerns, he opened the door for every subsequent generation of Persian-language poets. His work is widely regarded as the single most transformative shift in the history of Persian poetry.
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