A Fresh Breeze in the Nobel Literature Committee; Interview with Zhila Masoud

The "Swedish Academy," which selects the Nobel Prize in Literature, has appointed Iranian-Swedish poet Zhila Masoud as its new member. Ms. Masoud has published several poetry books in Persian and Swedish and is the first person of foreign descent to join the Swedish Academy in its 232-year history. In an interview with Ms. Masoud, we asked her about this selection. Ms. Masoud, please tell our audience about your literary background. I migrated to Sweden about 32 years ago and have 20 books, more than 10 of which are in Persian. I have published 10 books of Persian poetry, two novels, and one children's book, as well as seven poetry books in Swedish. I have written about 60 cultural and social articles in Swedish. I have been writing in this language for 21 years and have collaborated with the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults in Iran and occasionally with children's programs on radio and sometimes television. How were you selected to join this committee? I do not know how it happened, but I know that the current head of the Nobel Committee is a professor of French literature who has been studying and analyzing my poetry for two or three years, writing articles about it, and discussing my work in Swedish high schools, providing lessons for young people to read and learn from. There was a background that I was unaware of. I do not know how I was selected because they sit in a closed room, and the 18 members of the Nobel Committee make decisions, and the King stamps it and approves it. I do not know more than this. How did you learn about this selection, and how surprising was it for you? I received a phone call; the main person in the committee called me, and I was shocked because I did not expect it at all, and I was very happy and honored. However, I asked them to give me time to think about whether I wanted to do this or not. Now that you have been selected and will start your work in the Nobel Literature Committee in a few weeks, do you have any specific plans or thoughts to bring to this committee? Well, there I will have a lifelong seat, and my role is to introduce the rich literature of the Persian language and Persian poetry. I believe we have the most beautiful poetry in the world. Just as Westerners did not take the mythological aspects of Iran seriously, they did the same with poetry. Therefore, I think I can introduce Persian poetry there, speak more clearly about it, and write more. This is an extraordinary opportunity for me as a poet because my love is writing in Persian. I write and publish simultaneously in Persian. Thus, a very rare opportunity has been given to me, and I can make the best use of it. I believe both modern Iranian literature and our classical poets should be introduced. They are not well-known, and now is the time. Beyond yourself, what impact and advantage do you think your presence in the Nobel Literature Committee will have, especially for those who are not of the same nationality as you? You see, the critiques and definitions written about me after this introduction show that they think I bring a fresh air and a different perspective to the Nobel Literature Committee, which is interesting for them. In any case, I have used many Iranian symbols and the Persian language in my Swedish poetry, which they value highly, and they appreciate my symbolic language, which is simple but incorporates symbols from Persian literature. They write that these features and my perspective and writing in Swedish enrich their language. I hope this is the case, but I must say that as artists, we are responsible for the truth. My main hope is to illuminate many dark points in the literary history of my country there and show why, for example, Suhrawardi and others had their works burned, why Rumi's works were not burned, and why Hafiz's body was repeatedly exhumed and not allowed to be buried in the Muslim section. In any case, many such works will be interesting for the West to know. I believe Western researchers have always taken information from those in power and have not shown the truth as it was, whether historically, mythologically, or in terms of classical Iranian literature.