The Poetry of a Book-Reading Poet is a Catalyst for Societal Book-Reading

According to the Iran Book News Agency (IBNA), Razieh Jebhedari, in an interview with the news headquarters of the 33rd دوره of Iran’s Book Week, referred to cultural changes in the contemporary world and continued: In my opinion, in the new era, aesthetic tastes have changed, and humans and art have distanced themselves from meaning. According to some thinkers, in today’s world, the border between ugly and beautiful has shifted, and values have lost their place.

The poet continued: The aesthetics of today’s human beings have been distorted. Things that were once symbols of ugliness have now become symbols of beauty. This shift in values has caused poetry to lose its original function because if a poet is not careful of their soul and thoughts and does not purify their mental inputs, they can no longer produce an authentic product.

Jebhedari, referring to the place of poetry in cultural events, including Iran’s Book Week, said: If poetry finds its true place and the poet produces proper poetry, it can guide the desires and thoughts of society and contribute to the richness of cultural events, because poetry has the capacity to lead public opinion towards meaning and thought.

She pointed out that today many write only to be seen, not to say something new, and continued: Competition, instead of knowledge and study, is about being seen and accumulating followers on social networks. When competition among poets shifts from wisdom to showmanship, poetry becomes empty of meaning. At that time, no work is created that can move people. In this process, the poet does not take themselves seriously.

She considered this situation to be the result of the superficiality of public culture and the “cancer of speaking without study,” adding: A poet should be a leader of thought, but if they themselves become indifferent to study and contemplation, their poetry will no longer have “that” essence. Poetry must be full of reflection and thought, not a repetition of others’ words.

Jebhedari, in response to how poetry can help spread the culture of reading, said: If poetry is full of meaning and thought, it can be a summary or an incentive to read a book. Sometimes it is even the summary of a book itself. If a poet reads books, their poetry can become a catalyst for societal book-reading.

She stated that poetry is society-building, culture-building, and a summary of a book, and continued: Poetry can create an incentive to study books. Also, poems can be a prelude to reading a book or a summary of a book, and even poetry itself can be so profound as to act as a book.