Exclusive interview with Saghi Farahmandpour, a major voice in contemporary Persian poetry

As a major figure in contemporary Persian poetry, Saghi Farahmandpour returns in this fine interview to discuss her poetry, her commitment, and her latest bilingual Persian-French poetry collection, « Débris du destin » (Debris of Destiny), published in 2026 by Éditions du Cygne.

Kabyle.com – Hello Ms. Saghi Farahmandpour, and thank you for agreeing to this interview. In your latest poetry collection, published bilingually in Persian and French by Éditions du Cygne this year in France, you begin with a lovely yet deeply sorrowful poem—one that plunges us into compassion while sparking a desire to follow your poetic journey through to the very end. You write in « Wounds »:

« In the alleys of the city
No one
Cared about the torn body of the woman
No one
No one heard her piercing screams
No one
Attaches any importance… »

Faced with the insensitivity of a society that turns a deaf ear to the cries of women, can we say that through this introductory poem, Saghi Farahmandpour is one of those women who refuse omertà and resignation?

Saghi Farahmandpour : To me, what is far sadder, even more catastrophic, than life’s suffering itself is to act as though it does not exist and to ignore it. When the vast wings of suffering cast their shadow over every moment of human life, when people live in the seemingly endless darkness of profound pain, experiencing it daily and facing it relentlessly, how can anyone tell themselves that their own suffering is enough and that the suffering of others is none of their concern?! When the cry of pain echoes with power, indifference and silence in the face of it are impossible for me, not just as a woman, but as a person who knows pain and its overwhelming continuity, and who hears its voice distinctly, from near and far. Hearing the piercing cries of suffering only breaks my heart once, but remaining silent in the face of those cries makes me suffer a thousand times over. One can perhaps, in one way or another, bear one’s own pain and suffering, but witnessing the immense suffering of others and keeping silent is an assault on humanity!

Unfortunately, rubbing shoulders with despair is not always a choice or a decision.

Saghi Farahmandpour

In your poem « Cold », fear is palpable, and we can perceive the wandering of tyranny in the streets:

« A fierce, bitter cold
Wanders through the city
The streets are black, shadowy, and empty
No clamor
No uproar
But
Filled with pain. »

How does the poet that you are live with this anxiety, and how do you manage to sublimate it and transform it into a cry of hope?

The anguish of living in the Middle East is not just a passing feeling that affects a person from time to time; rather, it possesses a tenacious, rebellious, and stubborn presence that runs through every moment and takes root there, to the point where one can sometimes even perceive its heavy presence right down to the deepest layers of both individual and social human existence. I do not fight against this anguish that I experience. I speak of it openly in my poetry, which means that I share this anguish with my readernot by concealing its powerful blows, but by transmitting its persistent echo. I do not console myself, nor do I console my reader, but I remain a patient and constant companion to myself and to my reader in moments steeped in anguish. I do not know whether one can call this sublimation or not

At the same time, in the most anxious moments of my life, I always remember that the sun rises every morning in the Middle East. There are also infinite beauties hidden at the heart of simplicity, often invisible. I let the direct sunlight illuminate my anguish and push its dark shadow as far away as possibleperhaps a glimmer of hope will reveal itself to everyone’s eyes, even within the depths of life’s endless anguish.

Your poetry is tinged with gloom, melancholy, and marked by signs of despair. This is clearly expressed in several poems: ‘Black Water,’ ‘I See.’ For you, is the poet condemned to rub shoulders with despair? Or is it rather the occurrence of the context that imprints its temperament and guides the pen?

Unfortunately, rubbing shoulders with despair is not always a choice or a decision. At birth, a human being is cast into a corner of the world in whose selection they take no part. If the historical destiny of the land where the poet is born is, for whatever reason, intertwined with despair and suffering, they too are condemned to rub shoulders with despair. The poet is not a superhuman capable of brushing despair from their path with a firm decision. Slowly and surely, despair becomes so interwoven with the fabric of the poet’s life and insinuates itself into their most intimate and profound feelings that from then on, despair lives within them! Consequently, the poet’s pen is influenced by the air they breathe and by the circumstances in which they live.

In your poem entitled « A Single Sheet of White Paper, » one senses a resurgence of hope, despite the distress. As if hope were permitted to you once again. You write:

« Perhaps after the storm
This wild and violent wind of time
A singing bird
Will come. »

For you, Madame Saghi Farahmandpour, is the role of a poet, a writer, an artist, and an intellectual to sow the seeds of hope, even in what appears to be a barren land?

In my view, when a poet, a writer, an artist, or an intellectual chooses to express their thought through their own proper medium of expression, it is better to describe reality as it is. It is obvious that one must sow the seed in fertile ground for it to bear fruit. No society is a barren land, but every seed cannot be sown in just any soil.

Since we have just touched upon hope in the previous question, let us now consider your poem ‘Impasse.’ Through this poem, one realizes that the poet is not a mere fantasist or dreamer. They fill their poetry with thought, philosophy, and existential questions. For you, should poetry push the reader toward reflection and questioning?

The answer to your question is assuredly ‘yes.’ For me, if poetry does not incite the reader to reflection and questioning, and if the reader cannot ponder life through it, poetry becomes a ruin of the imagination and sentiment where nothing wanders but a disordered heap of words.

Who are the poets that influence your poetic writing?

I wrote my first poem under the influence of Alfred de Vigny’s poetry collection Les Destinées, but over the years, my main concern namely, how to poetically express human suffering, revealed itself to me more and more clearly, and I tried to pursue my own poetic voice.

What is the ideal moment for you to write?

Writing is a full-time, daily job for me. Naturally, I need concentration and a quiet environment to write. Therefore, it is only on the days when my mind is very cluttered and restless, or when I have many things to do, that I do not sit down to write.

What are your plans for the future?

I am currently busy writing my second poetry collection.

Thank you for having accepted this interview! A final word to conclude?

As a conclusion, I hope that in my poetic journey I can create a striking moment amidst the repetitive and unforgiving moments of daily life, and prevent the exhausted and breathless moments of life from being buried in oblivion. Thank you.

Interview conducted by Amar Benhamouche