Published by North Atlantic Books, distributed by Random House

This anthology features 18 Iranian poets whose work varies dramatically in style, tone and theme, including Amir-Hossein Afrasiabi’s lyric poems, erotic divertissements by Ziba Karbassi, rigorously formal poetry by Yadollah Royaii, experimental poems by Naanaam, powerful polemics by Maryam Huleh, and the personal-epic work of Shahrouz Rashid. Eclectic and accessible, these vibrant poems deepen the often limited awareness of Iranian identity today by not only introducing readers to contemporary Iranian poetry, but also expanding the canon of significant writing in the Persian language. Belonging offers a glimpse at a complex culture through some of its finest literary talents.

Read an excerpt of the Introduction to BELONGING.

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“Niloufar Talebi’s accomplishment in gathering the poetry of the Iranian diaspora is unprecedented and breathtaking. It is as if she has, by force of commitment and vision, and by way of cultural hunger, bequeathed a new literary heritage to Iran and the world….”
–Carolyn Forché
Editor of Against Forgetting: Twentieth Century Poetry of Witness

“Niloufar Talebi has accomplished the ultimate magic trick in her clean and modern translation. She has made the work of modern Persian poets read like original English … an unparalled contribution.”
–Willis Barnstone
Author of With Borges on an Ordinary Evening in Buenos Aires

“Poetry is a world art because of brilliant editors and translators like Niloufar Talebi … Here are the poets, in all their power, defiance, dignity, wildness, and lyric grace, scattered across the earth, yet united in this book…”
–Martín Espada
Pulitzer Prize nominee and author of The Republic of Poetry

“With literary skill and passion, Niloufar Talebi overcome the obstacles of matter, time and geographical space to produce a remarkable collection of Iranian poetry in diaspora … BELONGING is a major contribution to the recognition of contemporary Iranian literature in the West, to the appreciation of diaspora poetry by Persian-speakers everywhere, and to the important project of producing good translations form rich but under-represented literary canons for the anglophone reader. ”
–Nahid Mozaffari
Editor of the PEN Anthology of Contemporary Iranian Literature