Early life Ahmad Shamlou was born to Haydar Shamlou and Kowkab Araqi on 12 December 1925, in
Tehran to a military family. Ahmad was the second child and the only son in a family of six children. In the manner of many children who grow up in families with military parents, he received his early education in various towns, including
Khash and
Zahedan in the southeast of Iran, and
Mashhad in the northeast, and
Rasht in the north. Shamlou's childhood and adolescence were neither privileged nor easy and home was not an environment that could foster his sensitivities and he often found solace in solitude. Moving with his family from one town to the next proved a hurdle to Shamlou's education. By 1941, his high school education still incomplete, he left
Birjand for Tehran. He intended to attend the German-established Tehran Technical School, one of the best secondary schools of that period and learn the German language. He was admitted to this school on the condition that he be demoted two years. Soon in 1942, he and the rest of the family once again left Tehran to move to
Gorgan. In 1945, he made a final attempt at completing his high school degree in
Urmia, but failed. At age 29, following
the fall of Prime Minister
Mohammad Mosaddegh, Shamlou was arrested for being a member of the communist
Tudeh Party of Iran and imprisoned for over a year.
Early work Shamlou's debut work,
Forgotten Songs (), was a collection of classical and modern poetry which was published in 1947 with an introduction of Ebrahim Dilmaghanian. In 1948, he started to write in a literary monthly called
Sokhan-no. Two years later, his first short story, "The Woman Behind the Brass Door" (), was published. His second collection of poems,
Manifesto (), was published in 1951. He showed inclinations toward
socialist ideology. He got a job at the Hungarian embassy as their cultural advisor. His third collection of poems,
Metals and Sense (1952), was banned and destroyed by the police. His translations of
Gold in Dirt, by
Sigmund Motritz, and the voluminous novel ''The Heartless Man's Sons
by Mór Jókai, together with all data gathered for his work on the colloquial culture of urban Iranian life (to be known as The Book Of Alley) were also confiscated and destroyed. In 1954, he was jailed for 14 months. in 1955, he translated and published three novels by European writers. He became the editor-in-chief of Bamshad''
literary magazine in 1956.
1957–1959 He rose to fame from his next volume of poetry,
Fresh Air (), published in 1957.
Ziya Movahed, poet and philosopher, commented that "Anyone who reads
Fresh Air today can see that this language, this texture, is different from anything else. In contemporary poetry, few have accomplished this kind of rhythm as Shamlou has.
Fresh Air was the greatest event in our poetry—after Hafiz". His translation of
Barefoot, a novel by
Zaharia Stancu, was released in 1958, establishing Shamlou's authority as a translator. In 1959, he began publishing short stories for children, as well as directing documentary films and working for
film studios.
1960–1969 In 1960, a new collection of his poems,
The Garden of Mirrors, was released. In 1961, he became editor-in-chief of
Ketab-e-Hafte, a magazine that changes the tradition and language of literary journalism in
Iran. In 1962, his translations of
André Gide and
Robert Merle were published. Two collections of poetry were published in 1964:
Ayda in Mirror and
Moment and Eternity. A new collection of poems was released in 1965:
Ayda, Trees, Memories and the Dagger, as well as a new translation. He also began his third attempt to compile
The Book of Alley. In 1966, another new collection of poems was published, called
Phoenix in the Rain, and his literary magazine was banned by the
Ministry of Information (SAVAK). In 1967, he became editor-in-chief of
Khusheh. His new translation of
Erskine Caldwell was published, and he participated in the formation of the Union of Iranian Writers and gave several poetry readings at
Iranian universities. In 1968, he began his study of
Hafez, the classical grand poet of the
Persian language; translated
García Lorca's poems and
Song of Solomon from
the Old Testament; organized a week of poetry reading for established and new Iranian poets, which was very well received. The poems debuted at this event appear in a voluminous book edited by Shamlou. In 1969, his weekly magazine was closed down by the police.
Of The Air And Mirrors, a selection of older poetry, was published, together with his collection of new poems,
Odes for the Earth.
1970–1979 In 1970,
Blossoming in the Mist was published. He also directed a few documentary films for television and published several short stories for children. In 1971, he redid some of his earlier translations. In 1972, he taught Persian literature at the
University of Tehran. Several audio cassettes were released of Shamlou reciting other classical and modern poets' work. He obtained membership in the
Academy of Persian Language and Literature. He published several new translations and wrote a few
film scripts. He traveled to Paris for
medical treatment. In 1973, two new collections,
Abraham in Fire and
Doors and the Great China Wall, were released, along with several new translations. "The Song of Abraham in Fire" in the collection,
Abraham in Fire is one of the most well-crafted and famous contemporary Persian poems written by Ahmad Shamlou. Shamlou connects his poem to the
collective consciousness of the whole world, presenting characters of the hero and even the social
scapegoat rather in a curious way as we read about the case of a man who sacrifices himself for land and love and, yet, who is betrayed by others due to their ignorance and biases. In 1975, he published his work and study of
Hafez. In 1976, he travelled to the United States and gave poetry readings in many cities. He participated in the San Francisco Poetry Festival before returning to
Iran. In 1977, he published his new poem,
Dagger on the Plate. He left Iran in protest of
the Shah's regime and stayed in the United States for a year, giving lectures in
American universities. In 1978, he left the United States for Britain to act as the editor-in-chief for a new publication called
Iranshahr; he resigned after 12 issues and returned to Iran just after the advent of the
Iranian Revolution. He rejoined the Union of Iranian Writers and began publishing a new periodical, ''
Ketab-e Jom'e'' to great success. 1978 was a very active year in his life, and he published many poems and translations, as well as giving numerous lectures and readings. He was also elected to the membership of the Writer's Union's leadership. 1979 was also a year of intense activity. The first and second volumes of
The Book of Alley went to print. He was also re-elected as a member of the Writer's Union's leadership.
1980–2000 Starting in 1980, owing to the harsh political situation in Iran, he led a rather secluded life that would last for the next eight years, working with Ayda on
The Book Of Alley, as well as many other literary endeavors, including a translation of
And Quiet Flows The Don by
Mikhail Sholokhov. In 1984, he was nominated for the
Nobel Prize in Literature. In 1988, he was invited by Interlit, the World Literary Congress. He toured Europe giving many lectures and readings. His complete collection of poems was printed in Germany, and he returned to
Iran. In 1990, he toured the United States. Human Rights and The Fund For
Freedom of Expression presented him with their annual award. Several works were published in his poetry and his overall literary contribution. In 1991, he toured Europe again and returned to
Iran for another four years of intensive work. That same year, he won the
Freedom of Expression Award given by the New York–based
Human Rights Watch. In 1992, his work
Sacred Words appeared in Armenian and English. In 1994, he toured Sweden, invited by his Swedish editor Masoud Dehghani Firouzabadi, giving numerous lectures and readings. In 1995, he finished the translation of
And Quiet Flows The Don. There was a special gathering in
Toronto of Iranian writers and critics to discuss Shamlou's contribution to
Persian poetry. His
Aurora! was also published in Spanish. In 1999, he was presented with the
Stig Dagerman Prize by the Swedish Foundation.
Personal life Shamlou was married three times. In 1947, he married Ashraf Isslamiya (d. 1978), and together they had three sons and a daughter: Siavash Shamlou, (1948–2009), Sirous Shamlou, Saman Shamlou, Saghi Shamlou. They divorced in 1957 after several years of conflict and long separation. His second marriage to (1917–1996) who was older than Shamlou, ended in divorce in 1963 after four years of marriage. He met Aida Sarkisian in the spring of 1962 and they were married two years later in 1964. Aida came from an
Armenian-Iranian family who lived in the same neighbourhood as Shamlou. Her Christian family objected to the marriage on the basis of the
Islamic background of Shamlou's family. Moreover, Shamlou was older, and had been divorced twice. She became an instrumental figure in Shamlou's life, and they remained together until his death in 2000. Her name appears in many of his later poems. She currently lives in
Karaj.
Death Suffering from several illnesses at the same time, Shamlou's physical condition deteriorated in 1996. He underwent several operations, and in 1997, his right foot was amputated due to severe
diabetic problems. He died on Sunday, 23 July 2000, at 9 p.m. at his home in Dehkadeh Fardis in Karaj due to complications from his diabetes. On 27 July thousands took part in Ahmad Shamlou's funeral.{{cite web ==Works and style==