Another Birth
The Life and Legacy of Forugh Farrokhzad
with Mariam Rahmani (Translator)
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Pub Date 19 Jan 2027 | Archive Date 31 Dec 2026
W. W. Norton & Company | Liveright
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Description
A definitive biography of the iconic Iranian artist, revered and reviled for her trailblazing feminist verse.
Forugh Farrokhzad is a beloved mainstay of the Iranian canon, but her influence on the literary and cinematic traditions of the nation has remained long overlooked by Western readers. Born in 1934 and heralded as the “Iranian Sylvia Plath,” Forugh created an immense poetic oeuvre alive with themes of passion and sensuality, grief and loneliness, and often animated by a profound desire for self-determination.
Known by first name alone, Forugh was branded both a pariah and a hero for her brazenly feminist politics and commitment to living free. In her twenties, she became a pioneer of first poetry then film, shocking audiences with frank explorations of female desire and subjugation. But Forugh’s career was cut short in 1967 when, at just thirty-two, she died tragically in a car accident.
In the wake of the Islamic Revolution, only censored editions of Forugh’s work have been legally available in Iran. This landmark biography by renowned scholar Farzaneh Milani, first published in 2016, has been a staple on the bookshelves of Farsi-reading fans of the iconoclastic poet. Milani has dedicated her life to the study of Iranian literature and women’s place within the canon, and remains the preeminent expert on Forugh’s life. Finally available in English, in this edited edition with new material by both Milani and Mariam Rahmani, Another Birth celebrates a poet who—like Ferdowsi, Attar, and Rumi before her—forever altered the course of Iranian literature. Exquisitely translated and edited by Mariam Rahmani, Another Birth is an essential account of an artist whose impact will be felt worldwide for generations to come.
About the Author:
Farzaneh Milani is a scholar, writer, educator, and translator. She is Raymond J. Nelson Professor Emerita at the University of Virginia and lives in Virginia.
Mariam Rahmani is the author of the novel Liquid and the translator of In Case of Emergency by Mahsa Mohebali. She lives in Vermont, where she teaches at Bennington College.
Advance Praise
"Farzaneh Milani sensitively investigates the complex social, psychological, and artistic nature of one of Iran’s monumental figures of contemporary literature. Another Birth offers a mesmerizing and profound new insight into the tragically short life of a poet whose imagination seemed to transcend the boundaries of her culture and her time and whose voice remains remarkably relevant and universal across generations and borders." -Shirin Neshat, visual artist and filmmaker
"This outstanding biography opens onto new worlds through the short but vivid life of Iranian poet Forugh Farrokhzad. Farzaneh Milani makes a strong case that in part through Farrokhzad’s life and work, woman have been central to all change in modern Iran. This is a compelling story, beautifully told." -Mary V. Dearborn, author of Carson McCullers: A Life
"Iconoclast, firebrand, lover—the Forugh Farrokhzad who emerges in these scintillating pages is a poet of unconstrained thought, impassioned words, and daring deeds. Farzaneh Milani’s eloquent study is grounded in assiduous research, yet courageous and imaginative. It makes for a gripping and engrossing read." -Jahan Ramazani, University of Virginia
"Not simply a superb biographical study, Another Birth is a literary work in its own right, deftly structured, beautifully written, and carefully translated by Mariam Rahmani. With a balanced eye, astute scholarship, and deep compassion, Farzaneh Milani has brought this brilliant artist to life, free of the sensationalism and political bias with which her story is often told." -Elizabeth T. Gray, Jr., translator of Let Us Believe in the Beginning of the Cold Season: Selected Poems
"For a society that reveres poets the way other cultures celebrate saints or rock stars, it’s now impossible to talk about the greats of Persian poetry—Ferdowsi, Attar, Rumi, Hafez, and Sadi—without adding Farrokhzad to the list. Another Birth: The Life and Legacy of Forugh Farrokhzad, smartly edited and translated by Mariam Rahmani, makes clear the reason why: Farough Farrokhzad’s poetry and life raise an enduring cry for liberation and change." -Douglas Unger, author of Leaving the Land and Dream City
"This first English-language biography of Forugh Farrokhzad, an Iranian poet who defied societal and gender norms and forged new models for women’s poetic expression, is based on the original Persian by Farzaneh Milani, a pioneering scholar who introduced Farrokhzad into the pantheon of modern Persian poetry. Superbly cast into English by Mariam Rahmani, a gifted translator, novelist, and scholar, this extraordinary biography draws on letters, interviews, and Farrokhzad’s poetry to tap into her tumultuous life and inimitable creativity." -Nasrin Rahimieh, Howard Baskerville Professor of Humanities in the Department of Comparative Literature at UC Irvine
"A riveting portrait of a woman who dared to speak openly of female desire, sexuality, and subjugation decades before the Islamic Republic—a book as urgent and electrifying as Farrokhzad herself." -Ali Behdad, John Charles Hillis Chair in Literature and Professor of English and Comparative Literature at UCLA
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781324096023 |
| PRICE | $35.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 384 |