Minister: Shahriar bridged ‘lofty language’, everyday speech in Iran
Iran’s Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister Abbas Salehi paid tribute to Mohammad-Hossein Shahriar at an international congress in Tabriz on Thursday, calling the late poet a bridge between “lofty language” and the everyday speech of ordinary people.
The two-day gathering, held Sept. 17–18 to mark Iran’s National Day of Persian Poetry and Literature, drew officials, writers and scholars from inside and outside the country, farhang.gov.ir reported.
The date coincides with the anniversary of Shahriar’s death in 1988, a day officially designated to honor Iran’s centuries-old literary tradition.
Salehi told the audience he was attending on behalf of President Masoud Pezeshkian, who sent a written message describing Iran as “the land of poetry and thought, mysticism and epic.”
The president praised Shahriar as a poet who kept the “flame of the Persian ghazal” alive during turbulent times, while also uplifting his native Azarbaijani language with works such as the celebrated ‘Heydar Babaya Salam’.
Shahriar, who wrote in both Persian and Turkish, remains a rare figure in Iran’s modern canon.
Salehi noted that the poet’s work combined high literary style with the language of the street, making him accessible to intellectuals and ordinary readers alike.
“He managed to link classical diction with the people’s voice — something many tried but few achieved,” the minister said.
He also highlighted Shahriar’s dual heritage, describing him as both a devout writer inspired by the Qur’an and a patriot deeply attached to his hometown of Tabriz.
“For him, Iran and Azerbaijan walked hand in hand,” Salehi said, adding that the poet treated both allegiances as equal parts of his identity.