Forough Farrokhzad and her "Rebirth"

<p><span>Shine, light, radiance — that's how the word "forugh" translates from Persian. Forough Farrokhzad's life fully lived up to her name. Like a bright, fiery meteor, she streaked across the horizon of Iranian poetry, creating her own poetic style, women's poetry, and a new canon.</span></p> <p><span>The image of a rebellious child (so atypical for an Iranian girl) was reflected in the poems that defined Forough's place in literature: the greatest rebel in the history of Iranian poetry, who destroyed all foundations and traditions, forcing the entire patriarchal society to perk up and pay attention for the first time to the words of a female poet.</span></p> <p><span>In 1958, an event occurred that divided Forough's life into before and after—her meeting with Ebrahim Golestan. This renowned film producer, journalist, talented writer, translator, and photographer, twelve years her senior and already married with children, invited her to work as a secretary at the Golestan Film studio. They began an affair that quickly became public knowledge.</span></p> <p><span>Golestan breathed life into her professional self-expression. His studio sent Forough to the UK on several occasions to attend directing courses. The poet immersed herself in the world of cinema, assisting Ebrahim and appearing in his films.</span></p> <p><span>And so, thanks to her fateful meeting with Ebrahim, a new Forough was born. She was in love, desired, and in demand. And a true breakthrough in her creative life was her fourth collection, "Rebirth" (1963), dedicated to E. Golestan. This collection included poems written between 1957 and 1963. A new Forough emerged into the world — wise, profound, and conscious.</span></p> <p><span>Farrokhzad became the most successful successor, the first female to continue Nima Youshij's poetic style, known in Iran as "new poetry". Forough transformed her technique of expression and creative style — she imbued literary texts with new imagery and motifs, liberating verse from the shackles of classical meter and rhyme. This collection changed the history of the development of the "new poetry" style, marking the beginning of female poetry in Iran.</span></p>