Poetry
دیوان
Not translated into English
Abdullah Qari · 1923
Synopsis
The collection of the Persian poems of Abdullah Qari, poet laureate of Afghanistan, made up mostly of ghazals in the so-called Indian style. Recent studies note in it love, nature and mysticism, but also the homeland and the social questions of his time. The most frequent metres are those of the tradition, often with a refrain, and the music of the verse comes from repetition and sound play; the language is simple, open to new words, sparing of Arabic words.
Context
The divan was printed in Kabul in 1923, in its author's lifetime, then reprinted in 1955; an edition of his ghazals, prepared by Efat Mostasharnia, has been appearing from Erfan. The Encyclopaedia Iranica ranks Qari among the Afghan poets of the twentieth century who remained faithful to the Indian style, alongside those who follow the old traditions of Dari. A 2024 study, devoted to fifty of his ghazals, analyses their metres, their images and their vocabulary.
Who it is for
Ghazals in Persian, untranslated. It helps to know what the Indian style is, that manner of nesting images inherited from Bidel.
Prizes and reception
No prize for the book itself. The divan was reprinted thirty-two years after its first edition, and was still being studied in 2024.