Zhila Masoud: Critics Say My Poetry Has Enriched the Swedish Language

When Zhila Masoud, the Iranian-Swedish poet, was introduced last Friday as one of the two new members of the permanent jury committee of the Royal Swedish Academy of Literature, not only were Iranians around the world surprised, but she herself was also completely taken aback. Iranians may have been surprised because, until now, the name of this seventy-year-old poet, despite having ten poetry collections to her name, had either been completely unheard of or rarely heard. In this context, perhaps her most famous poems for her compatriots are those that were published in 1976 by the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults, featuring music by Fariborz Lachini and the voice of Simin Qadiri in a cassette titled 'Avaz.' Who is Zhila Masoud? What are her thoughts? How familiar is she with contemporary Iranian literature? Why is she less recognized in her home country despite the popularity of her poetry collections in Sweden? To what extent does her current prominent position benefit the attention towards the completely absent Iranian literature at the Nobel level? These and many other questions were posed in this week's interview with the Iranian poet who is a member of the Nobel Literature Committee.