Poetry as Resistance: Ahmad Shamlou’s Enduring Voice

Author and award-winning translator Niloufar Talebi, in conversation with renowned poet and publisher Matthew Zapruder, discusses Elegies of the Earth: Selected Poems by Ahmad Shamlou, a groundbreaking bilingual edition that marks the towering Iranian poet's centennial and introduces him to new audiences. Talebi and Zapruder explore Shamlou’s lyrical resistance, his place in world poetry, and the urgent relevance of his work to the task of reclaiming our shared humanity. What can poetry do in times of crisis? Why poetry, now more than ever?   NOTE: This program, co-sponsored by Litquake, takes place in the Latino Room on the Library's Lower Level.

Niloufar Talebi is an author, translator and Fulbright U.S. Scholar. She is the author of Self-Portrait in Bloom, a literary portrait of Ahmad Shamlou, and the co-creator of Abraham in Flames, an opera inspired by his legacy. Her book, Elegies of the Earth: Selected Poems by Ahmad Shamlou, marks the poet’s centennial and features her translations, which were supported by an NEA Translation Fellowship. Talebi has received commissions from Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and Stanford Live, and she teaches at Stanford Continuing Studies.  

Matthew Zapruder is the author of six poetry collections, including I Love Hearing Your Dreams and Father’s Day, as well as Secret Weapon: Selected Late Poems, his translations of Romanian poet Eugene Jebeleanu. He has also written Why Poetry and Story of a Poem. A former poetry editor for The New York Times Magazine and editor of Best American Poetry 2022, he is editor at large at Wave Books and teaches in the MFA program at Saint Mary’s College of California. 

Ahmad Shamlou (1925–2000) was one of Iran’s most influential modern poets, a literary pioneer who reshaped contemporary Persian poetry. A poet of resistance, he broke from tradition to forge a bold, modern voice that championed freedom and justice. Shamlou’s influence extended beyond literature, shaping cultural and political discourse in Iran and beyond. In 1983 he was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature.  

Connect: 

Niloufar Talebi – Instagram  

Matthew Zapruder – Facebook 

World Poetry Books (publisher) – Instagram 

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Main Library - San Francisco Public Library, 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco, United States