Mansour Ouji Information

Mansour Oji (November 30, 1937 – May 8, 2021) was a contemporary Iranian poet known for his contributions to Persian literature. He was born in Shiraz and earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of Tehran. He later received a master’s degree in educational sciences from Tehran’s Higher Teacher Training College and a bachelor’s degree in English language and literature from Pahlavi University (Shiraz University). After years of teaching, he decided to dedicate more time to his poetry.

In an interview, Oji emphasized the importance of having a unique voice in poetry, stating:
“A poet must have a fingerprint and signature, and today’s poets all look the same because they lack this feature. In my eighty years of life, I tried to write myself and my life and never wanted to be like anyone else.”

Due to his extensive contributions, including over 25 books of poetry, two books of translation, and three books of research, Oji was awarded the First-Class Art Badge by the Iranian Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance in 2017.

Death

Oji suffered a rib fracture about a year before his death and was under home care due to a liver ailment. He passed away on May 8, 2021, at the age of 83 in his home in Shiraz due to liver disease.

Selected Works

Mansour Oji’s poetry collections include:

– “Bāgh-e Shab” (The Night Garden) (1965)
– “Khwāb-e Derakht va Tanhā’i-ye Zamin” (The Dream of the Tree and the Loneliness of the Earth) (1965)
– “Shahr-e Khasta” (The Tired City) (1967)
– “Bargozideh-ye Ash’ār” (Selected Poems) (1970)
– “In Sūsān Ast Ke Mīkhānad” (This Lily is Singing) (1970)
– “Morgh-e Sahar” (The Bird of Dawn) (1977)
– “Sedā-ye Hamisheh” (The Everlasting Sound) (1978)
– “She’rhā’i be Kotāhi-ye Omr” (Poems as Brief as Life) (1979)
– “Hāli Ast Marā” (I Am in a State) (1989)
– “Kotāh Mesle Āh” (Short as a Sigh) (1989)
– “Khoshā Tavallod va Parvāz” (Blessed Birth and Flight) (?)
– “She’rhā-ye Mesri (Ashiqānehā)” (Egyptian Poems (Love Poems)) (2009)
– “Az Vatan: 162 She’r dar Setāyesh-e Shiraz” (From the Homeland: 162 Poems in Praise of Shiraz) (2010)
– “Ketāb-e Kalāmāt” (The Book of Words) (2011)
– “Dar Chehreh-ye Ghoroob” (In the Face of Sunset) (2012)
– “Heyrānihā” (Astonishments) (2012)
– “Dahān-e Tasalli” (The Mouth of Solace) (2013)
– “Gonjeshk-hā va Kalāgh-hā” (The Sparrows and the Crows) (2013)
– “Daftar-e Gomshodeh” (The Lost Notebook) (2013)
– “Harfi Barāye Goftan” (A Word to Say) (2018)
– “Yek ‘Omr Shā’eri” (A Lifetime of Poetry) (2019)
– “Gozideh-ye She’r” (Selected Poems) (2021)
– “Shā’er-e Lahzeh-hā” (The Poet of Moments) (2021)

In addition to his poetry, Oji published “Dar Roushanāyeh-ye Sobh” (In the Morning Light) in 1991, a collection of selected poems by eleven contemporary poets from Fars province. He also released “Yek Sad o Dah Nāmeh az Do Simin: Nāmhāyeh Simin Dāneshvar va Simin Behbahani be Mansour Oji” (One Hundred and Ten Letters from Two Simins: Letters from Simin Daneshvar and Simin Behbahani to Mansour Oji). His last book, “Yek ‘Omr Shā’eri” (A Lifetime of Poetry), published in 2018, is a selection from around 2,000 poems and 25 previously published books.