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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 January 2022
From the beginning of her career, Simin Behbahani stresses her intention to reflect contemporary concerns in her poetry. She has continued to use the traditional form of ghazal and to affirm the ghazal's capacity to reflect the contemporary environment. Behbahani tells us how she changed the structure of the ghazal to suit her poetic needs. This paper focuses on the poetic conversation as a feature of Behbahani's poetic style which leads her poetry firmly into present time. Early female poets in Iran made use of poetic conversation to bring attention to a changing social system and, especially, issues of concern to women. Behbahani refines and perfects the technique of poetic conversation. Her poetic conversations range from a single-voiced complaint to complex commentary involving more than one perspective. In particular, a character identified only as “you” at times represents society or a companion, and may even bring the poet face-to-face with herself. This character widens the scope of the poetic drama. Behbahani's poetic conversations convey a femininity that is complex and a sensibility that is modern.
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20 Moshir-Salimi, Zanan-e Sokhanvar, 3: 335–336. The original Persian is in rhyming couplets.
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23 The context for the Egyptian Bedouin poetry is a political economy in the process of transformation. Bedouin poetry is used by the lowest bracket of the social hierarchy to challenge the status quo and the traditional holders of power.
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30 Simin Behbahani, “Cheh sokut-e sard-e siyahi” [“What a Cold and Sombre Silence”]. Khati az Sar'at o az Atesh (1981) in Az Salha-ye Ab o Sarab, 279–280.
31 Simin Behbahani, “Arusak-e mumi” [“Wax Doll”] from the collection Marmar (1963) in Az Salha-ye Ab o Sarab, 149–151.
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35 Behbahani, “Ba chonin qanuni-ye sorbi” [“Leaden Laws”], 251–252.
36 Behbahani, “Ba chonin qanuni-ye sorbi” [“Leaden Laws”], 251–252.
37 Simin Behbahani, “Minavisam o khat mizanam” [“I Write, I Cross Out”] from the collection Yek Daricheh-i Āzādi (1995) in Az Sālhā-ye Āb o Sarāb, 425–426.
38 Simin Behbahani, “Goft o gu” [“Dialogue”] in Az Sālhā-ye Āb o Sarāb, 205–206.
