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Nima Yooshij or Nimā Yushij (; 11 November 1895 – 6 January 1960), also called Nimā (), born Ali Esfandiari (), was a prominent Iranian poet. He is famous for his style of poetry which he popularised, called ''she'r-e now'' (, lit. "new poetry"), also known as ''
She'r-e Nimaa'i She'r-e Nimaa'i () is a school of Modernist poetry in Iran that is derived from the literary theory of Nima Yooshij, a contemporary Iranian poet. Nima Yooshij revolutionized the stagnant atmosphere of Iranian poetry with the influential poem Afsaneh ...
'' (, lit "Nima poetry") in his honour after his death. He is considered the father of modern
Persian poetry Persian literature comprises oral compositions and written texts in the Persian language and is one of the world's oldest literatures. It spans over two-and-a-half millennia. Its sources have been within Greater Iran including present-day ...
. He died of
pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...
in
Shemiran Shemirān (, ) is the capital of Shemiranat County, Tehran Province, Iran, but is actually located just north of the borders of Tehran County along Chamran Expressway and Sadr Expressway and it is the northernmost district of the city of T ...
, northern
Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...
. Following his will, he was buried in his native village of Yush,
Nur County Nur County () is in Mazandaran Mazandaran Province (; ) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Sari, Iran, Sari. Located along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and in the adjacent Central Alborz mountain ra ...
,
Mazandaran Mazandaran Province (; ) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Sari, Iran, Sari. Located along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and in the adjacent Central Alborz mountain range and Hyrcanian forests, it is border ...
.


Early life

He was the eldest son of Ibrahim Nuri of Yush (a village in Baladeh,
Nur County Nur County () is in Mazandaran Mazandaran Province (; ) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Sari, Iran, Sari. Located along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and in the adjacent Central Alborz mountain ra ...
,
Mazandaran Mazandaran Province (; ) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Sari, Iran, Sari. Located along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and in the adjacent Central Alborz mountain range and Hyrcanian forests, it is border ...
province). He was a Tabarian, but also had Georgian roots on his maternal side. He grew up in Yush, mostly helping his father with the farm and taking care of the cattle. As a boy, he visited many local summer and winter camps and mingled with shepherds and itinerant workers. Images of life around the campfire, especially those emerging from the shepherds' simple and entertaining stories about village and tribal conflicts, impressed him greatly. These images, etched in the young poet's memory waited until his power of diction developed sufficiently to release them. Nima's early education took place in a '' maktab''. He was a truant student and the
mullah Mullah () is an honorific title for Islam, Muslim clergy and mosque Imam, leaders. The term is widely used in Iran and Afghanistan and is also used for a person who has higher education in Islamic theology and Sharia, sharia law. The title h ...
(teacher) often had to seek him out in the streets, drag him to school, and punish him. At the age of twelve, Nima was taken to
Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...
and registered at the ''St. Louis School''. The atmosphere at the
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
school did not change Nima's ways, but the instructions of a thoughtful teacher did.
Nezam Vafa Khvajeh Nezam-e Chahar Dang (, also Romanized as Khvājeh Nez̧ām-e Chahār Dāng; also known as Khakenesun, Khāk Nezām, Khvājeh Nez̧ām, and Nez̧ām Vafā) is a village in Howmeh Rural District, in the Central District of Bam County, Kerma ...
, a major poet himself, took the budding poet under his wing and nurtured his poetic talent. Instruction at the Catholic school was in direct contrast to instruction at the ''maktab''. Similarly, living among the urban people was at variance with life among the tribal and rural peoples of the north. In addition, both these lifestyles differed greatly from the description of the lifestyle about which he read in his books or listened to in class. Although it did not change his attachment to tradition, the difference set fire to young Nima's imagination. In other words, even though Nima continued to write poetry in the tradition of Saadi and
Hafez (), known by his pen name Hafez ( or 'the keeper'; 1325–1390) or Hafiz, “Ḥāfeẓ” designates someoone who has learned the Qurʾān by heart" also known by his nickname Lisan al-Ghaib ('the tongue of the unseen'), was a Persian lyri ...
for quite some time his expression was being affected gradually and steadily. Eventually, the impact of the new overpowered the tenacity of tradition and led Nima down a new path. Consequently, Nima began to replace the familiar devices that he felt were impeding the free flow of ideas with innovative, even though less familiar devices that enhanced a free flow of concepts. "Ay Shab" (O Night) and "Afsaneh" (Myth) belong to this transitional period in the poet's life (1922).


Contributions

In general, Nima reformed the
rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular r ...
and allowed the length of the line to be determined by the depth of the thought being expressed rather than by the conventional Persian meters that had dictated the length of a ''bayt'' ( verse) since the early days of
Persian poetry Persian literature comprises oral compositions and written texts in the Persian language and is one of the world's oldest literatures. It spans over two-and-a-half millennia. Its sources have been within Greater Iran including present-day ...
. Furthermore, he emphasized current issues, especially the nuances of oppression and suffering, at the expense of the beloved's moon face or the ever-growing conflict between the lovers, the beloved, and the rival. In other words, Nima realized that while some readers were enthused by the charms of the lover and the coquettish ways of the beloved, the majority preferred heroes with whom they could identify. Nima actually wrote quite a few poems in the traditional Persian poetry style and as critiqued by
Abdolali Dastgheib Abdolali Dastgheib (; born November 7, 1931) is an Iranian literary critic, writer, translator and author of 66 books and numerous articles. Biography Abdolali Dastgheib was born in Shiraz, Iran. His father (Javad) was a teacher and school prin ...
, showed his ability well. However, he felt the old ways limit his freedom to express his deep feelings or important issues faced by society. This led him to break free and create a whole new style for modern poetry. Furthermore, Nima enhanced his images with
personification Personification is the representation of a thing or abstraction as a person, often as an embodiment or incarnation. In the arts, many things are commonly personified, including: places, especially cities, National personification, countries, an ...
s that were very different from the "frozen" imagery of the moon, the rose garden, and the tavern. His unconventional poetic diction took poetry out of the rituals of the court and placed it squarely among the masses. The natural speech of the masses necessarily added local color and flavor to his compositions. Lastly, and by far Nima's most dramatic element was the application of
symbol A symbol is a mark, Sign (semiotics), sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, physical object, object, or wikt:relationship, relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by cr ...
ism. His use of symbols was different from the masters in that he based the structural integrity of his creations on the steady development of the symbols incorporated. In this sense, Nima's poetry could be read as a dialogue among two or three symbolic references building up into a cohesive semantic unit. In the past only
Hafez (), known by his pen name Hafez ( or 'the keeper'; 1325–1390) or Hafiz, “Ḥāfeẓ” designates someoone who has learned the Qurʾān by heart" also known by his nickname Lisan al-Ghaib ('the tongue of the unseen'), was a Persian lyri ...
had attempted such creations in his
Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...
c
ghazals ''Ghazal'' is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry that often deals with topics of spiritual and romantic love. It may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss, or separation from the beloved, and t ...
. The basic device he employed, however, was thematic, rather than symbolic unity. Symbolism, although the avenue for the resolution of the most enigmatic of his ghazals, plays a secondary role in the structural makeup of the composition.455


Works

The venues in which Nima published his works are noteworthy. In the early years when the press was controlled by the government, Nima's poetry, deemed below the established norm, was not allowed publication. For this reason, many of Nima's early poems did not reach the public until the late 1930s. After the forced abdication of
Reza Shah Reza Shah Pahlavi born Reza Khan (15 March 1878 – 26 July 1944) was shah of Iran from 1925 to 1941 and founder of the roughly 53 years old Pahlavi dynasty. Originally a military officer, he became a politician, serving as minister of war an ...
, Nima became a member of the editorial board of the "Music" magazine. Working with
Sadegh Hedayat Sadegh Hedayat (, ; 17 February 1903 – 9 April 1951) was an Iranian peoples, Iranian writer, translator, satirist, and poet. Best known for his novel ''The Blind Owl'', he was one of the earliest Iranian writers to adopt literary modernism in ...
, he published many of his poems in that magazine. Only on two occasions he published his works at his own expense: "The Pale Story" and "The Soldier's Family." The closing of "Music" coincided with the formation of the
Tudeh Party The Tudeh Party of Iran is an Iranian communist party. Formed in 1941, with Soleiman Mirza Eskandari as its head, it had considerable influence in its early years and played an important role during Mohammad Mosaddegh's campaign to nationalize ...
and the appearance of a number of leftist publications. Radical in nature, Nima was attracted to the new papers and published many of his groundbreaking compositions in them. Ahmad Zia Hashtroudy and
Abolghasem Jannati Ataei Abolghasem or Abolqasem is an Iranian given name. Notable people with this name include: * Abolghasem Alidoust, Iranian legal scholar *Abol-Ghasem Kashani (1882–1962), Iranian politician and ayatollah * Abolghasem Khazali (1925–2015), Iranian ...
are among the first scholars to have worked on Nima's life and works. The former included Nima's works in an anthology entitled "Contemporary Writers and Poets" (1923). The selections presented were: " Afsaneh," (Myth) "Ay Shab" (O Night), "Mahbass" (Prison), and four short stories.


References

Ali Azimi in his former band,
Radio Tehran Radio Tehran () is a radio station in Tehran, Iran, broadcasting content directed mainly at Tehran and Tehran Province. It is fully owned and operated by the Iranian government through the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting The Islamic Rep ...
used one of Nima's poems titled When Crying Begins in their hit song ''Tamume Chiza (Everything)''.


See also

*
Intellectual Movements in Iran Intellectual movements in Iran involve the Iranian experience of modernity and its associated art, science, literature, poetry, and political structures that have been changing since the 19th century. History of Iranian modernity Long before th ...
* Khalilollah Khalili * Mehdi Akhavan Sales


References


Other sources

* '' Essays on Nima Yushij: Animating Modernism in Persian Poetry'', edited by
Ahmad Karimi-Hakkak Ahmad Karimi-Hakkak (, born February 1944 in Mashhad, Iran) is a Persian literary figure and Iranologist. Life Education Ahmad Karimi-Hakkak holds a BA in English Literature and a Teacher's Certificate from the University of Tehran and Military ...
and Kamran Talattof. Leiden: Brill, 2004. * Dastgheib, Abdolali. 2006. ''The Messenger of Hope and Liberty: Critical Review of Poems by Nima Yooshij''. 2006. Amitis Publishers, Tehran, Iran. . (Persian title: )


External links


Biography of Nima Yoshij on Iran Chamber Society


A biography by Professor
Iraj Bashiri Iraj Bashiri (; born July 31, 1940) is professor of history at the University of Minnesota, United States, and one of the leading scholars in the fields of Central Asian studies and Iranian studies. Fluent in English, Persian language, Persian, ...
,
University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...
. {{DEFAULTSORT:Yooshij, Nima Yushij, Nima Yushij, Nima Yushij, Nima Iranian people of Georgian descent 20th-century Iranian poets 20th-century Iranian male writers Deaths from pneumonia in Iran People from Nur, Iran Mazandarani people