I am almost 70, and these are among my final works / ‘Hope’ is my constant companion, its presence beyond my control

Nima Shahshahani and Mohammad Hossein Asadi report: “Naturally, my real name is Seyed Ali Panah Salehi. Born in the Bakhtiari land on the first morning of Nowruz in 1334 solar year [1955 CE]. My early poems were heard on the radio with the voice of Mehdi Akhavan-Sales. Manouchehr Atashi in Tamasha magazine and Nosrat Rahmani in Raskhiz media welcomed my simple words….” Seyed Ali Salehi is a poet about whom it is said: “Generations have lived with his voice, and his words are etched on the heart of contemporary Iranian poetry.” The synopsis on the back cover of his latest work, ‘Joy-Book of the Universe’ (Tarabnameh-ye Kaenat), begins just as simply.