Poetry
دیوان
Not translated into English
Abdul Hakim Ziai · 1950
Synopsis
The collection of Ziai's Persian poems. The Encyclopaedia Iranica places its author among the Afghan poets of the twentieth century who cherish and follow the traditions of Dari literature, rather than the Indian manner inherited from Bidel, which dominates in other Kabul poets.
Context
For the twentieth century, the Iranica article on Afghan letters distinguishes three families: the heirs of the Indian manner, those who return to the traditions of Dari, and those who try out old and new styles. It places Ziai in the second, with Khalilullah Khalili, whom it regards as the foremost poet of his time, and with Abd-al-Rahman Pazhvak. The page gives neither a title nor a date of collection for him.
Who it is for
Poems in Persian, without translation. It helps to have some familiarity with the old masters of Persian poetry.
Prizes and reception
No prize. The encyclopaedia places him in the same family as Khalili and Pazhvak, two great names of the century.