S8: E2 Ahmad Shamlou, Elegies of the Earth, translated by Niloufar Talebi. Host Farnaz Fatemi.

Join translator Niloufar Talebi as she talks with Farnaz Fatemi about her new book, Elegies of the Earth: Selected Poems of Ahmad Shamlou, iconic Iranian 20th poet, Ahmad Shamlou, an innovator in Persian poetry and socially conscious writer. Extras: A companion YouTube playlist for this episode, which features original Persian recitations by Ahmad Shamlou alongside English translation readings and interviews about Shamlou by Niloufar Talebi. Fiind it here. Bios: One of the most influential cultural figures of Iran in the latter half of the twentieth century, Ahmad Shamlou (1925–2000) authored more than 70 books, including 18 volumes of poetry. Sometimes known by his pen name, Alef Bamdad, Shamlou’s innovations brought on a transition from classical forms to free verse and made him a flag-bearer of the Iranian vanguard, which included the poet Forough Farrokhzad. Shamlou’s synthesis of Eastern and Western poetic traditions and high and low styles democratized the literary mode without simplifying it. Championing the “everyman,” Shamlou’s work reflects his deep engagement with social issues and the human condition.Niloufar Talebi is an author, educator, producer, and multidisciplinary storyteller whose work spans literature, opera, performance, and cultural translation. Her practice is rooted in reinvention—transforming language and lived experience into art that awakens, stirs, and liberates. Niloufar is the editor and translator of Elegies of the Earth: Selected Poems by Ahmad Shamlou (World Poetry, 2025), a sweeping centennial edition of Iran’s iconic twentieth-century poet of liberty, whose work shaped modern Persian poetry. Her memoir Self-Portrait in Bloom (l’Aleph, 2019), praised as “a hybrid wonder” (The Rumpus), combines personal narrative with her award-winning translations of Nobel Prize–nominated Iranian poet Ahmad Shamlou. The book inspired the acclaimed opera Abraham in Flames (2019), which she commissioned, produced, presented, and co-created in collaboration with composer Aleksandra Vrebalov and director Roy Rallo.