Arts and Literature

Cultural Lumpenism (5)

“Dowlat-Abadi: No. Protesting censorship has its own form according to the circumstance. I protest in one way, another will protest in another way. But, in fact, censorship is not a matter to be solved by using the sword. We want the problem to be solved. We want to make it understood that censorship is an unnecessary matter; because in every society, there are a series of taboos, and our writers in Iran respect these taboos. Therefore, censorship can no more play the important role it has given itself.” What taboos is Dowlat-Abadi talking about?>>>

جادو

در گوشه‌ای از این دنیای درندشت، مامان بزرگ خوبی روی صندلی مخصوصش نشست و به چهار جفت چشم زیبایی نگاه کرد که میهمانش بودند. پیژاماهای خوشرنگ صورتی، آبی، لیمویی و بنفش «جوجه‌ها» اتاق خوابش را رنگارنگ کرده‌اند. همه روی شکم دراز کشیده‌اند. همه دستها را زیر چانه زده‌اند؛ و همه منتظرند که باز هم یکی از داستانهای شیرین مامان بزرگ را بشنوند>>>

تنها مرد می خواهد که جرات کند

کنار زن ها بایستد
مردی که نه در مقابل آن ها
نه بالای سرشان
و نه در دامنشان—
مردی که جرات کند کنار
بایستد. >>>

Jinn

My ominous association with ghosts goes back to my early childhood years. Aunt Sedighe, my father’s youngest sister lived in Shoushtar, one of the oldest cities in the world, dating back to Achaemenian dynasty (400 BC). Shoushtar used to be the winter capital of Sassanian dynasty and it was built by the Karoun River. The river was channeled to form a trench around the city>>>

عشق یافته

این بار عشق را
در روز اوّل نوروز
بر زمین یافتم
و آن را از زمین
برداشتم
عیدی نوروزی.
>>>

Cultural Lumpenism (4)

It is obvious that for Dowlat-Abadi, the origin of censorship by the “cultural management” is not its fundamentalist ideology and repressive attitude, but only its dogmatism. That’s why a few sentences ahead, he sympathized with the censors of the Ministry of Islamic Guidance as victims of their own actions. He said, “This discourse that they want to hear and hear it from the mouth of others, because they don’t hear it, they constantly repeat it themselves; what’s the use?">>>

Who Deceived Whom?

Recently I finished a book by Ali Gharib. The name of this book was “Istadeh bar armaan” The writer in this book attempts to give an accurate account of events leading to the 1979 revolution and Khomeini becoming a leader. Then he goes on to quote from the memoirs of people like Banisadr, Bazargan, Yazdi, Soroosh and many others as to how Khomeini betrayed all of them along with Iranian nation and diverted their revolution into the path that it was never supposed to take >>>

Cultural Lumpenism (3)

Based on either conformism or ignorance, lumpens claim not to be interested in political activity They do not have any clear political beliefs, they lack mental stability and are confused about political matters. Dowlat-Abadi declared his non-involvement in politics in a December 2011 interview he had with Ali Shoroughi and Sheema Bahremand from Shargh Newspaper, entitled: “Mahmoud Dowlat-Abadi: We are people as well”>>>

خواب آينه

نسيم سرد پاييزى قلمى است مرموز
که رندانه زمستان را نقش ميزند.
و مرا که در آغوش سرخ و زرد و نارنجى
در بستر برگهاى ريخته عشق ميورزم
به ژرفناى مايوس حريرى سفيد
>>>

Get a freakin' life, people!

The problem with Iranians is, number one, that we are a very critical bunch. We're very quick to criticize one another and point out inadequacies and deficiencies. Secondly, we are so image conscious (and, frankly, pompous) that we think that a reality show about our community must necessarily feature doctors, lawyers, and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. After all, we're one of the most highly educated and successful groups in the US>>>

Cultural Lumpenism (2)

Considering how well Dowlat-Abadi is aware of the corruption of the intellectuals of the regime and the regime itself, one wonders why he is so adamant to support this regime and remain one of its lumpen intellectuals who is occasionally used and abused by other lumpen intellectuals. (Here, I remember the story of a famous female filmmaker who used a female writer’s scenario without her permission to make a film, and was sued by her)>>>

سرود های ماندگار عشق - ۶

گفتم که چرا نمی فروشند
زاین باده ناب می فروشان؟
گفتا که به زر چرا فروشند
اکسیر حیات مفت و ارزان؟ >>>

به پیشباز بهار

جمله رفتیم به پیشباز تازه عروس
و سلام گفتیم و مبارک باد
و صد سال به سال ها‌ی خوش آرزو کردیم؛
و خانه پر از عشق شد،
کوچه‌ها پر از آغوش >>>

Cultural Lumpenism

In today’s under-developed societies such as Iran, the formation of this opportunistic group as a significant layer of society takes place when a rural /agricultural/non-industrial society is heading towards consumerism, industrialization and capitalism, with its lack of a definite assortment of classes, its class confusion, its chronic unemployment, its permanent tendency to increase the workers’ misery. Lumpens are the remnants of the pre-industrial and pre-capitalist society who cannot adapt themselves to this transformation>>>

در همه شهرهای دنیا زنی هست

در همه ی شهرهای دنیا زنی هست
آخرین بار درمشهد ایران بود
زنی که خجالت نمی کشد
مانتویش پر از لک کثافت است
و پروا ندارد
که کرست نبسته است
>>>

با دروردهای نوروزی

حالیا زمان
پاره‌می‌كند تقویمِ پارینه
سینِ سالی تُرشیده را
باز هم كنارِ سركه باید گذاشت؟
و این سكه‌های بی‌رمق
كه نقطه‌های فقر را هم نمی‌خرند >>>

Norooz

A little drunk perhaps
from the lack of news,
lucid nevertheless I wait.

My long and cold legs
tired from all the insults,
warm to the embers' fate.
>>>