A Poet's Nudity in the London Underground!

A discussion and review of the selected book "Shamloo Poetry Award" of 2018, "Black Line, London Underground" by Alireza Abiz. Today’s poetry in Iran is, without any pretense, dizzy and struggles to define its position. It is poetry that largely finds itself caught between the tastes of the general audience and elitism, and on many occasions cannot delicately explain its relationship with the powerful foundation of classical and postmodern Iranian poetry. This leads to most of the published poems in recent years being either "pretentious but hollow" or fundamentally "weak, loose, and lacking in language." Among contemporary poets, few have managed to find their own way amidst this confusion and build their poetry without paying attention to the surrounding noise. Alireza Abiz, after publishing five poetry collections since the 1990s, has shown that he has reached peace in his relationship with the medium and concept of poetry, and his poetic compass points him towards a healthy path; without the usual distortions and dizziness. His latest poetry collection, "Black Line, London Underground," published last summer, is a work that anyone interested in today’s poetry should read. His accessible yet complex language, and his very mild and intelligent humor, while discovering angles that, due to their accessibility, make his sharpness in highlighting them exciting, have turned this collection into a worthy piece. It is noteworthy that the "Shamloo Poetry Award" was also awarded to this collection a few days ago - on December 21. I have invited Alireza Abiz to the book review program "Distant View, Close View" after completing his "PhD in Creative Literature" in London, where he now resides. Before the discussion, however, you will hear a few poems read by the poet.