Tehran meeting studies influence of Imam Khomeini on Persian literature
TEHRAN – (Iranart)- The Iran Public Libraries Foundation organized a session last Tuesday to discuss the influence of Imam Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, on Persian poetry and literature.
Scholar Hossein Qarai and Afghan poet Mohammad-Sarvar Rajai, who is also the deputy director of the Afghanistan Literature House in Tehran, attended the meeting named “The Age of Ruhollah”.
Speaking at the meeting, Rajai talked about his writing activity and the love and interest of Afghan people towards Imam Khomeini.
“I was interested in writing when I was a young adult. I had no one to guide and help me in writing. The very first time I decided to write seriously was when I was in Peshawar in Pakistan. I visited Iran’s Cultural Office there and participated in a competition of article writing with the central theme of Imam Khomeini,” Rajai said.
“I took third place in that competition. And later, I traveled to Iran and continued my writing activity under the supervision of several Iranian masters,” he added.
He next pointed to his book “In the Arms of Hearts” which contains a selection of poetry and memories of Afghan people about Imam Khomeini.
“I actually tried to show the Iranian people that Imam Khomeini has had many followers, not only in Iran but also across the borders,” he said.
For his part, Qarai, a researcher of the oral history of revolutionary literature, spoke about the roots of the Islamic Revolution.
“I believe the root of the revolution goes back to the Iranian demonstration on June 4, 1963, which is considered the beginning of the revolution,” Qarai said.
“The demonstration, which continued in several cities such as Varamin, Qom, Shiraz and Tehran, has been mentioned in the books by several writers and poets such as Ali-Akbar Khoshdel Tehrani and Rahim Makhdumi” Qarai added.
The program ended with poetry recitations by Ali-Mohammad Moaddab and Sara Jelodarian.
The death anniversary of Imam Khomeini, which fell on June 3 this year, was observed in numerous cultural events across the country.
source: Tehran Times