Payam Feili (پیام فیلی, born 1985) is an

Iranian Iranian may refer to: * Iran, a sovereign state * Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan ethnic term from Iranian, used for the people of Iran * Iranian lan ...

poet, activist and

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, pla ...

Biography

Payam Feili was born in 1985 in

Kermanshah Kermanshah ( fa, کرمانشاه, Kermânšâh ), also known as Kermashan (; romanized: Kirmaşan), is the capital of Kermanshah Province, located from Tehran in the western part of Iran. According to the 2016 census, its population is 946,68 ...

in Iran. He began to write in his early teen years. Feili published his first book – ''The Sun's Platform'' in 2005 at age of nineteen. The book was censored by the

Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance ( fa, وزارت فرهنگ و ارشاد اسلامی, ''Vâzart-e Ferheng-e vâ Arshad-e Eslâmi'') ("Ministry of CIG") is the Ministry of Culture of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It is responsibl ...

. After that, Payam Feili's works have been banned from publication in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkm ...

. His first novel – ''Tower and Pond'' as well as a collection of short essays ''Crimson Emptiness and Talking Waters'' were published by

Lulu Lulu may refer to: Companies * LuLu, an early automobile manufacturer * Lulu.com, an online e-books and print self-publishing platform, distributor, and retailer * Lulu Hypermarket, a retail chain in Asia * Lululemon Athletica or simply Lulu, ...

in the United States. The book was published in Persian. His second book – ''I Will Grow, I Will Bear Fruit . . . Figs'' was published in Germany by ''Gardoon Publishers''. Other works including the novel ''Son of the Cloudy Years'' and a collection of poems ''Hasanak'' were published outside Iran. He is blacklisted in Iran not only because of his works, but also because he is openly gay. He lives in exile in Turkey. At the end of 2015, Feili visited

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

as a guest of the Israeli

Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: * Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) *Ministry of Culture (Argentina) * Minister for the Arts (Australia) *Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan) * Ministry ...

. The visit was organized with help of culture and sport minister

Miri Regev Miriam "Miri" Regev ( he, מִרְיָם "מִירִי" רֶגֶב; born Miriam Siboni on 26 May 1965) is an Israeli politician and a former brigadier-general in the Israel Defense Forces, in which she served as IDF Spokeswoman. She currently ...

and interior minister

Silvan Shalom Zion Silvan Shalom ( he, ציון סילבן שלום, born 4 August 1958) is an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Likud between 1992 and 2015. He held several prominent ministerial positions, including being Vice Pri ...

, who issued a special permit, due to travel restrictions on the entry of Iranian citizens. In 2016, Feili applied for asylum in Israel, which he described as an "interesting, beautiful and amazing" place. He says Israel is "not just another country. For me, it’s like a fairytale place." In March 2016, Feili's visa have been extended to allow him to stay while asylum request is being proceeded. However, after 3 years in Israel, he was still waiting for his asylum request and status in Israel to be officially confirmed.

Awards and recognition

* Poet of a month. ''The Missing Slate'' Magazine.

References

External links

Payam Feili blogPayam Feili: Walking on WaterPaya Feili
in

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, t ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Feili, Payam Iranian male poets Iranian activists LGBT people from Iran LGBT poets Gay writers 1985 births Living people Iranian exiles Iranian expatriates in Turkey Iranian male novelists Iranian novelists Iranian emigrants to Israel