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Artist
Mehdi Akhavan Sales
12+ albums
PersianpoetryPoempersian poetfarsi
about
Mehdi Akhavan-Sales (مهدی اخوان ثالث), or Akhavan-Saless (1928, Mashhad, Iran — 1990, Tehran, Iran) was a prominent Persian poet. He is one of the pioneers of Free Verse (New Style Poetry) in Persian language. Akhavan Sales was born in 1928 in Mashhad, Iran. He gave up an interest in music to appease his father. When the government of prime minister Mohammad Mossadegh was toppled, he was imprisoned along with other political activists. His daughter Laleh, was born while he was in prison. After his release from prison in 1957, he started work in radio, and soon after was transferred to Khouzestan to work in TV. Later on, he taught literature on radio and TV and at the university. After the 1979 Iranian Revolution he was granted membership to the Iranian Academy of Artists and Writers. In 1981 he was forced to retire from government service without pay. In 1990, following an invitation from the cultural organization in Germany, he traveled abroad for the first time. Few months after his return, he died at Mehr Hospital in Tehran. He is buried on the grounds of the mausoleum of Ferdowsi in Tus. Although Akhavan Sales's poetic career began as early as 1942, he did not acquire the degree of recognition, necessary for breaking into the literary circles of his time until the publication of his third volume of poetry in 1956. Called "Zemestan" (Winter), this volume boosted Sales's career and placed him among the top runners for the mantle of Nima Yushij. In fact, for many circles,
