Ali Abdolrezaei was born in 10 April 1969 in Langrood, Iran. After receiving his diploma in mathematics from Ghodoosi High School in 1986 he went to Tehran Technical and Engineering University where he graduated with a Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1993.
Ali Abdolrezaei began his professional poetic career in 1986 and became one of the most acclaimed poets of post Revolutionary Iran. He published seven volumes of his work inside Iran before heavy censorship made his work inside the country impossible. He was banned from teaching and public speaking, which forced him to go into exile in 2002. After leaving Iran, he briefly lived in Germany, followed by two years in France. In 2005 he moved to London, where he now lives and works.[1]
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Ali Abdolrezaei's voice as a poet is clear and unmistakable. Already early on in his career he embarked upon a journey to find a new form of language to communicate new experiences. He broke away from the traditional Persian poetic language and the formal classical style of verse writing. Instead of the traditional forms of rhyme and rhythm, he uses the counting of syllables and the sound-patterns of the words in a way which reflects the patterns of Old pre-Islamic Persian poetry. His lengthy poems, in particular, are highly complex and often bring together a group of different characters within different timelines. They focus on the feelings of anxiety, isolation and the sense of loss that Iranians in general, and intellectuals in Diaspora, have been experiencing in the last 30 years.
Ali Abdolrezaei's poems often describe personal experiences rather than world events. He sees changes in the forms and subjects of literature as a way of helping political and social change. This aspiration to change is reflected in the language of his poetry as well as the events it describes.[2]
Ali Abdolrezaei's reputation as a poet spread in the early 1990s and received wide critical attention. Nearly all well-known poets and critics of Persian poetry have written about his work.[3] He has published 20 books of poetry so far. His works have challenged traditional Persian poetic language and have exercised a decisive influence on post-Revolutionary Iranian literature.
His poetry caused a group of young poets turn away from the legacy of Modern Persian Poetry to establish the Persian New Poetry order.[4]
Ali Abdolrezaei's poems have been translated into a variety of languages including English, German, French, Turkish, Spanish, Arabic, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Finnish, Croatian and Urdu.[5] 13 of Ali Abdolrezaei's Persian books are available in the Ketabnak Ebooks Library.[6]