"Follow the Wind - Poems by Abbas Kiarostami"

Author: Abbas Kiarostami
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: In China, Abbas Kiarostami is a beloved director among film enthusiasts, while in Iran, he is not only a filmmaker but also a poet. His poetic writing predates other artistic pursuits by many years. The collection "Following the Wind" includes 22 poems written in Persian by Kiarostami. His poetry draws on the long-standing and profound tradition of Persian poetry, often rooted in philosophy or contemplation, but in terms of form, it "declares a break with the formal characteristics of the magnificent millennium-old aesthetic tradition," achieving complete freedom in rhyme and meter. Thus, he is known as "the most radical poet of his generation—or of the century." It is not difficult to sense the poetic sensibility of this director-author through his films, and reading his poems makes us first notice those cinematic moments. The quiet, rustic imagery of Kiarostami's films once reawakened our imagination and reflection; this time, it is his words—those brief, swift, and but keenly observant lines—that place us in the vastness of the world, allowing us to reexamine the things and scenes around us and grasp the poetic essence of the everyday world. "Following the Wind" presents, in the form of poetry, an artist's focused and meticulous gaze on a world full of subtle differences; it grafts the enduring aspirations of the finest Persian poets of antiquity onto contemporary anxieties, guiding us toward a new way of thinking, writing, and speaking. Kiarostami is also a photographer, and we have selected over twenty of his photographic works to open and close the collection, presenting his "desire to make those moments of passion or pain eternal in some way." In today's fast-paced and restless era, Kiarostami's poems, photographs, and films can cleanse the pollutants from our eyes and minds, allowing us to once again quietly listen, attentively watch, and deeply reflect on the people and events around us.