Sohrab Rahimi, Poet and Literary Translator, Passes Away

Sohrab Rahimi, a poet and translator residing in Malmö, Sweden, and an active figure in literary criticism, died in a car fire on Wednesday evening, February 10. Reports from Swedish media indicate that the police are currently investigating the incident that led to Mr. Rahimi's death, which occurred outside Malmö, as a 'murder' case, although these reports also emphasize that the police have not yet found any evidence of a crime. Published images from the scene show a large burn mark next to a narrow road in an area far from any buildings, created by the burning vehicle. The Swedish police have stated without mentioning a specific name that a burned body belonging to a man in his fifties was found in the vehicle. Although this report does not disclose the identity of the deceased, close associates of Sohrab Rahimi have confirmed that it was indeed him. Meanwhile, doubts have arisen regarding a possible suicide, which some literary and media activists have pointed out on social media. This issue has not yet been confirmed. Sohrab Rahimi, born in 1962, had been living in Sweden for many years and had translated many works from Swedish to Persian and from Persian to Swedish during this time. However, Mr. Rahimi's literary activities were not limited to translation; he was also a poet and critic. 'The Geometric Ritual of Malijoya' and 'A Letter for You' are among Sohrab Rahimi's poetry collections. His translations include 'The Light of Darkness' (selected poems of Tomas Tranströmer), 'The Unfenced City' (selected poems of Magnus William Olson), and 'Women in Copenhagen' (selected poems of Niels Hav), all translated into Persian in collaboration with his wife, Azita Ghahreman. Two years ago, Mr. Rahimi also received the Nikolai Gogol Poetry Prize from Ukraine.