Hasht kitāb Persian 2026

Hasht Ketab (Eight Books) is the most celebrated poetic work of Sohrab Sepehri, bringing together his eight major poetry collections: The Death of Color, The Life of Dreams, The Ruin of the Sun, The East of Sorrow, The Sound of Water’s Footsteps, The Traveler, The Green Volume, and We Nothing, We the Gaze. Written between the 1950s and the mid-1970s, many of these poems were originally published separately in literary journals and magazines before being collected into a single volume.

Presented together, these eight books reveal the evolution of Sepehri’s poetic voice and intellectual outlook over more than two decades. The collection reflects his unique blend of poetry, philosophy, mysticism, and visual sensitivity, offering readers a journey through themes of nature, spirituality, solitude, and humanity.

The final collection, We Nothing, We the Gaze, was written only a few years before Sepehri’s death, leaving behind a remarkable literary legacy that transformed modern Persian poetry. As both a poet and a painter, Sepehri infused his work with a distinctive artistic vision, enriched by his extensive travels and familiarity with diverse cultures and traditions. These experiences contributed to the broad, open-minded worldview that characterizes his poetry.

This edition of Eight Books also includes reproductions of artworks created by Sohrab Sepehri himself, highlighting the deep connection between his poetry and his visual art.