Ḥanjarah-yi zakhmī-yi jūybār: Taʼammulī dar shiʻr-i Suhrāb Sipihrī Persian 2024

The Wounded Throat of the Stream: Reflections on the Poetry of Sohrab Sepehri, by Taqi Pournamdarian, is a critical study of the poetry of Sohrab Sepehri and his place in modern Persian literature. The book examines the stylistic, linguistic, and thematic characteristics of Sepehri’s poetry and explores the ways in which his poetic world differs from many of the dominant currents in contemporary Persian verse.

Pournamdarian approaches Sepehri’s work through themes such as nature, simplicity, spirituality, modern humanity, and the loss of inner purity. He argues that, in contrast to the increasingly industrial and technological character of modern life, Sepehri’s poetry repeatedly turns toward nature, childhood, silence, contemplation, and a more immediate experience of existence.

Alongside its thematic analysis, the book also considers Sepehri’s poetic structure and distinctive modes of expression, offering a more detailed understanding of one of the major individual voices in twentieth-century Persian poetry. The inclusion of a bibliography and index further enhances the book’s value for students, scholars, and readers interested in the criticism of modern Persian poetry.

The book’s back-cover text emphasizes Sepehri’s distinctive position among contemporary poets. It presents him as a poet deeply concerned with humanity, not primarily through political or social protest, but through his response to a modern world shaped by technological progress, spiritual decline, and increasing distance from simplicity and moral clarity. In this context, Sepehri’s poetry celebrates childhood, innocence, nature, and spiritual purity as counterpoints to the pressures of modern technological life.