German poetry discussed at Tehran meeting

TEHRAN,Apr.20(MNA) – German poetry was discussed at a meeting in Tehran on Wednesday evening. The meeting entitled the German Poetry Night was organized by the Persian literary monthly Bokhara at the Mahmud Afshar Foundation. Iranian literati Mahmud Dowlatabadi, Saeid Firuzabadi, Yunes Nurbaksh, Bokhara Managing Director Ali Dehbashi, and the chairman of the cultural section of the German Embassy Otto Graf attended the meeting. “German Poetry from the Beginning to the Present”, an anthology of German poems selected and translated by Ali Ghazanfari, was also introduced at the ceremony. The book covers German poetry from the “Merseburg Incantations”, which were composed in the 9th or 10th century, to works by contemporary German poets. Speaking at the ceremony, Dowlatabadi regarded the book as an important source, since it informs readers about when German language was formed and what efforts were made to make this language flourish and grow. “I believe the book acts as an educational text for those who want to become familiar with German culture and literature,” he added. Poetry enjoys a special position in Persian culture and language, higher than its position in the German language, Otto Graf next said at the ceremony. He mentioned that the book is a selection of German poetry which helps readers better to become familiar with German culture and literature. Dehbashi next talked about the recent activities of Ghazanfari and said that several of Ghazanfari’s translations, including selections of poetry by the Persian poets Hafez, Sadi and Rumi, have been published in Germany, while he has published several books in Iran as well. Ghazanfari was the last to speak and said that what was important for him was the selection of the poetry. “I selected 130 poets out of 170 individuals, some of whom are no longer living, and I contacted their publishers. I also directly asked for permission from those who are still alive,” he concluded.