TEHRAN –Persian poet and children’s book writer Ahmadreza Ahmadi passed away due to heart failure in Tehran on Tuesday. He was 83.

The writer had long been suffering from the heart disease for years, his daughter Mahur said, ISNA reported. 
 
Born in 1940, Ahmadi is considered the founder of New Wave Poetry in Iran.

Ahmadi published his debut collection of poetry, titled Tarh (Sketch), in 1962. Surrealism and American Imagists, such as Saint John Perse, Paul Eluard, Louis Aragon, and Ezra Pound, deeply influence his poetry.

Moreover, his literary creations extend to children and young adult audiences as well.

In the 1960s, Ahmadi pioneered the development of the New Wave style in contemporary Iranian poetry. This movement gained momentum in the latter half of the decade and transformed into a modernist cultural phenomenon that impacted Iranian literature, drama, cinema, painting and beyond.

Ahmadi established the Tarfeh group in 1965, joining forces with prominent literary and cinematic figures in Iran such as Nader Ebrahimi, Esmaeil Nuri Alaa, Mehrdad Samadi, Mohammad Ali Sepanlou, Bahram Baizai, Akbar Radi, Jafar Koshabadi, Maryam Jazaieri, and Jamileh Dabiri. Their mission was to promote and safeguard the New Wave movement.

His works have garnered him multiple awards. “The Butterfly Fell Asleep On My Pillow”, “The Boy Looked At the Sea and Said”, “Suddenly the Lights Came On”, “I Wrote Rain, It Rained”, “Broken Glass”, “I Will Tell You One Day” and “Senility Notebooks” are among his credits.

Photo: Iranian poet and children’s book writer Ahmadreza Ahmadi in an undated photo

ABU/