TEHRAN – Persian literature aficionados and literati from across the country will commemorate poet Hossein Behjat Tabrizi (1906-1988), known as Shahriar, today on his death anniversary, which is Shahriar National Day.

The day is also celebrated as Iran’s National Day of Poetry and Literature.

Tehran’s Vahdat Hall will be hosting a ceremony in honor of the poet with different programs, Asghar Fardi, the secretary of Iran’s National Day of Poetry and Literature said in a press conference on Wednesday.

Iran’s National Orchestra is scheduled to perform pieces of poetry by Shahriar, while a number of scholars are expected to deliver speeches on Persian poetry and literature, said Fardi, who was also a student of Shahriar.

“We also asked the family of Shahriar to attend the ceremony, but they preferred to attend the ceremony to be held in the birthplace of Shahriar in Tabriz,” he added. 

Moreover, the northern Iranian city of Gorgan will be hosting a seminar to commemorate the poet, Golestan Department of Culture and Islamic Guidance announced in a press release published on Friday.

A number of literati have been invited, while poet Abdoljabbar Kakai is also expected to attend the seminar.

Shahriar published his first book of poems in 1929, with prefaces by Persian literature scholars Mohammad-Taqi Bahar, Saeid Nafisi and Pejman Bakhtiari. 

“Heidar Babaya Salam” is Shahriar’s most famous Azari language poetry collection, which is dedicated to his birthplace, the village of Heidar Baba. 

His poems are mainly influenced by Hafez. “The Blessing Bird of Good Omen”, which is about Imam Ali (AS), is his other noteworthy credit.

RM/YAW