Bijan Jalali [ بیژن جلالی ]
Translated by Hamed Kashani & Gary Gach
Art by Fariba Hajamadi
Fariba Hajamadi, By passion the world is bound, by passion too it is released, 1989.
Oil and photo emulsion on canvas, 64 x 100 inches
our sweet smiles
of comings & goings
will turn to bitter sorrow
so pity
the myth
we’re spinning like a spider
which some nameless housewife
merely rips apart rubs together & throws away
Spring / Summer 2023
The Iran Issue
Bijan Jalali
Bijan Jalali (1927–2000) was a unique, if lesser-known, voice among seminal modernist Persians writing sepid [white] poetry – a type of modern Persian poetry free of classical forms and concepts. His works include The Color of Water, Days, Dailies, Our Heart and the World, Play of Light, and The Water and the Sun.
Hamed Kashani
Hamed Kashani (born 1978) is an Iranian poet and translator. He was a member of poetry workshops at the Karnameh Institute of Arts and Culture in Tehran.
Gary Gach
Gary Gach (born 1947) teaches Zen Buddhism at the University of San Francisco. His translations include Flowers of a Moment (BOA Editions, 2015) by Ko Un, co-translated with Brother Anthony and Young-moo Kim. He dwells on Ohlone Ramaytush lands, in the City of Saint Francis.
Fariba Hajamadi
Fariba Hajamadi (b. Esfahan, Iran) lives and works in Los Angeles and Brooklyn. She received her BFA from Western Michigan University and her MFA from CalArts. Since 1982, Hajamadi has made work that investigates displacement, loss, trauma, tragedy, war, culture, and gender identity. Her work has been exhibited in the US and internationally and is included in prestigious collections worldwide.