Esmaeil Shahroodi Information

Mohammad Esmail Shahroudi (born Jan 1, 1926, in Damghan – died November 25, 1981, in Tehran) was a contemporary Iranian poet and one of the earliest followers of Nima Youshij, who joined the modernist poetry movement from the start of his career.

Life
He completed his primary and secondary education in his hometown. In the mid-1950s, he joined the Tudeh Party of Iran. Shahroudi continued his studies at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Tehran and later worked as a teacher and in the Ministry of Education.

After traveling to India and collaborating with Aligarh Muslim University, Shahroudi worked with Dehkhoda Dictionary and Mohammad Moin in compiling the Moin Dictionary. In 1965, he was arrested for a period, which led to a loss of mental balance from which he never fully recovered.

In 1969, he collaborated as a cultural expert with the National Commission for UNESCO in Iran while also teaching “The Relationship between Literature and Visual Arts” at the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Tehran. He retired in 1975 and, after years of suffering from illness that began in the late 1960s, he passed away on November 25, 1981, at Shariati Hospital in Tehran.

Reza Baraheni wrote a long poem in his memory titled “Ismail.”

Poetry
In 1951, Shahroudi published his first poetry collection, “The Last Battle,” with a preface by Nima Youshij. His second collection, “Future,” was published in 1957. Shahroudi’s poetry is social in nature, possessing a beauty and powerful conveyance.

His poetry can be divided into two periods. The first period includes poems influenced by Nima Youshij, evident in the vocabulary and meters he used. This influence is prominent in “The Last Battle” and “Future.” In the second period, his poetry matures, developing a unique language that blends colloquial speech with elevated language derived from classical literature. This unique language is evident in his later collections, such as “M and Mi in Sa,” “Every Way, Way, Way, Way,” and “Oh Pilgrim of Miqat,” with his playful use of language also reflected in the titles.

Bibliography
Poetry Collections:
– “The Last Battle,” Tehran: [no publisher], 1951
– “Future,” Tehran: Amir Kabir Publications, 1967
– “Selected Poems,” Tehran: Bamdad Publications, 1969
– “M and Mi in Sa,” Tehran: Payam Publications, 1970
– “Every Way, Way, Way, Way,” Tehran: Bouf Publications, 1971
– “Oh Pilgrim of Miqat,” Tehran: Zaman Publications, 1972
– “Ruined Song: Selected Poems of Esmail Shahroudi (with a preface by Nima Youshij on ‘The Last Battle’),” Tehran: Cheshmeh Publishing, 2008

Short Story:
– “A Few Kilometers and a Half of Reality,” Tehran: Morvarid Publications, 1971