Out Of The Shadows: Translating Unknown Iranian Poets

Together, Hubert Moore and Nasrin Parvaz translate the work of contemporary Iranian poets.

They have worked with a number of virtually unknown poets whose keenly perceptive poems offer a different view of day-to-day life in Iran.

Poet Moore and translator Parvaz read selections of this work and discuss the challenge of translating some of the less well-known poems in modern Iranian literature. The afternoon is chaired by Sasha Dugdale, editor of Modern Poetry in Translation, which features their translations of the 'construction worker' poet Sabeer Haka.

'(God) is a worker too.
Welder of welders he must be.
In the evening light
his eyes are red;
at night his shirt
is full of holes.'
(Sabeer Haka, translated by Hubert Moore and Nasrin Parvaz, Modern Poetry in Translation: Scorched Glass)

For ages 16+. Held at Level 3 Function Room at Royal Festival Hall