Famous Iranian Writers

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 1 
Omar Khayyam
(Mathematician)
Omar Khayyam
4
Birthdate: May 18, 1048
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Nishapur, Khorasan, Iran
Died: December 4, 1131

Omar Khayyam was a Persian polymath, mathematician, philosopher, astronomer, and poet. In the field of mathematics, he is best known for his work on the classification and solution of cubic equations. As an astronomer, he designed a solar calendar known as the Jalali calendar. His philosophical attitude towards life had elements of pessimism, nihilism, Epicureanism, and fatalism. 

 2 
Hafez
(14th Century Persian Lyric Poet)
Hafez
5
Birthdate: 1325 AD
Birthplace: Shiraz, Iran
Died: 1390 AD

Hafez was a Persian lyric poet whose works are considered by many as an apex of Persian literature. Even today, his works are found in the homes of the Persian-speaking world and people learn his poems by heart as they find them extremely useful. Not surprisingly, his poems are used commonly among speakers of Persian as everyday proverbs and sayings.

 3 
Abbas Kiarostami
(Iranian Director, Producer, Screenwriter and Photographer)
Abbas Kiarostami
4
Birthdate: June 22, 1940
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Tehran, Iran
Died: July 4, 2016

Abbas Kiarostami was an Iranian screenwriter, film director, film producer, photographer, and poet. Over the course of his illustrious career, Kiarostami was honored with numerous awards such as the Jury Special Award at the Tehran International Film Festival and Best Film Award at the Iranian Film Festival for Children and Young Adults. 

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 4 
Reza Aslan
(Scholar, Author Famous for His Translated Works ‘No God but God: The Origins’, ‘Evolution’, and ‘Future of Islam')
Reza Aslan
4
Birthdate: May 3, 1972
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Tehran, Iran

Reza Aslan is an Iranian-American writer, TV host, and scholar of sociology of religion. A multi-talented personality, Aslan also serves as a professor at the University of California, Riverside. Over the course of his career, Reza Aslan has been honored with several prestigious awards including the East-West Media Award in 2012 and the Media Bridge-Builder Award in 2013.

 5 
Shams Tabrizi
3
Birthdate: 1185 AD
Birthplace: Tabriz, Iran
Died: 1248 AD

Shams Tabrizi was a Persian poet best remembered for playing an important role in the life of the popular poet and scholar, Rumi. Having served as a spiritual instructor of Rumi, Tabrizi is referenced with reverence in many of Rumi's poetic collection. An important historical figure in Iran, Tabrizi's tomb has been nominated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

 6 
Jabir Ibn Hayyan
(Iran Philosopher and Author)
Jabir Ibn Hayyan
3
Birthdate: 0721 AD
Birthplace: Tous, Iran
Died: 0813 AD

Eighth-century alchemist and physician Jabir Ibn Hayyan has been credited with too many written works. Experts believe his vast works may not have been written by a single person. The Jabirian corpus, a collection of his works, is known for its "method of the balance" and its focus on chemistry.

 7 
Ferdowsi
(Persian Poet and One of the Most Influential Figures of Persian Literature)
Ferdowsi
5
Birthdate: 0940 AD
Birthplace: Tous, Iran
Died: 1020 AD

Ferdowsi was a Persian writer and poet best remembered for authoring Shahnameh which is considered the greatest epic in Persian speaking countries. Shahnameh is also one of the longest epic poems ever composed by a single poet. One of the most celebrated figures of Persian literature, Ferdowsi is also counted among the greatest in the history of literature.         . 

 8 
Cassandra Clare
(Writer)
Cassandra Clare
4
Birthdate: July 27, 1973
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Tehran, Iran

Cassandra Clare is an American writer best known for authoring a series of six young adult fantasy novels titled The Mortal Instruments. A highly acclaimed author, Cassandra Clare has won several awards including a couple of Georgia Peach Book Awards. 

 9 
Nizam al-Mulk
(scientist, writer)
Nizam al-Mulk
3
Birthdate: April 10, 1018
Sun Sign: Aries
Died: October 14, 1092

Nizam al-Mulk was a Persian political philosopher, scholar, and vizier of the Great Seljuk Empire. Nizam rose to the position of the de facto ruler from humble beginnings. He is perhaps best remembered for founding several important institutions known as madrasa in cities across the Seljuk Empire. Nizam al-Mulk is also credited with writing an important political treatise called Siyasatnama.

 10 
Tahmasp I
(Second Shah of Safavid Iran from 1524 to 1576)
Tahmasp I
3
Birthdate: February 22, 1514
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Shahabad, Iran
Died: May 14, 1576

Tahmasp I ruled as the Shah of Safavid Iran from 23 May 1524 to 25 May 1576. At the age of 14, Tahmasp faced the Uzbeks in the Battle of Jam where he defeated the Uzbeks after surprising them with artillery. Tahmasp I also had a longstanding conflict with the Ottoman Empire over Baghdad, Kurdistan, and Georgia.

 11 
Ashraf Pahlavi
(Iranian Writer, Diplomat and Politician)
Ashraf Pahlavi
3
Birthdate: October 26, 1919
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Tehran, Iran
Died: January 7, 2016
 12 
Mohammad Khatami
(5th President of Iran from 1997 to 2005)
Mohammad Khatami
4
Birthdate: September 29, 1943
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Ardakan

Mohammad Khatami is an Iranian politician who served as the President of Iran from 1997 to 2005. A respected and influential politician, Khatami advocated tolerance, freedom of expression, and civil society during his presidency. He  also served as the Minister of Culture of Iran from 1982 to 1992.

 13 
Hossein Amini
(British Screenwriter and Director)
Hossein Amini
3
Birthdate: January 18, 1966
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Tehran, Iran
 14 
Al-Hallaj
(Iranian Poet and Saint)
Al-Hallaj
2
Birthdate: 0858 AD
Birthplace: Fars Province, Iran
Died: March 26, 0922

Al-Hallaj was a Persian poet, mystic, and teacher of Sufism. An influential preacher, Al-Hallaj gained a wide following before entering into a conflict with the Abbasid court, which had him executed on religious and political charges on 26 March 922. Although he was criticized by many of his Sufi contemporaries, Al-Hallaj later became an important figure in the Sufi tradition.

 15 
Sadegh Hedayat
(Iranian Writer Best Known for His Novel 'The Blind Owl')
Sadegh Hedayat
3
Birthdate: February 17, 1903
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Tehran, Iran
Died: April 9, 1951

Sadegh Hedayat was an Iranian translator and writer best remembered for his book The Blind Owl, which inspired the 1987 French film La Chouette aveugle. Hedayat was one of the earliest writers from Iran to make literary modernism an important aspect of his work and career. Sadegh Hedayat's life and career have inspired several documentary films like From No. 37.

 16 
Azar Nafisi
(Iranian-American Writer and Professor of English Literature)
Azar Nafisi
2
Birthdate: December 1, 1948
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Tehran, Iran

Azar Nafisi is an Iranian-American writer and professor. She was born in Iran and later moved to the US, where she received her Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma. She returned to Iran to pursue an academic career, eventually going back to the US after some years. She is the author of several critically acclaimed books. 

 17 
Nasir Khusraw
(Iranian Philosopher and Poet)
Nasir Khusraw
2
Birthdate: 1004 AD
Birthplace: Qubādiyān, Iran
Died: 1077 AD

Nāṣer-e Khusraw was a Persian poet, Isma'ili scholar, philosopher, and traveler. He was also widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the history of Persian literature. Among his most famous works is the Safarnama, which is widely read even today in Iran.

 18 
Sohrab Sepehri
(Iranian Poet and Painter)
Sohrab Sepehri
2
Birthdate: October 7, 1928
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Kashan, Iran
Died: April 21, 1980

Sohrab Sepehri was an Iranian poet and painter. He is counted amongst the five most famous Iranian poets who have practiced modern poetry. His poems have been translated into several languages, including English, Italian, French, Spanish, and Lithuanian. He is also considered one of Iran's foremost modernist painters and is known for developing a new technique called texture

 19 
Forough Farrokhzad
(Poet, Film director, Writer)
Forough Farrokhzad
1
Birthdate: January 5, 1935
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Tehran
Died: February 13, 1967

Forough Farrokhzad was an Iranian poet and film director. Her strong feminist voice earned her much acclaim and also brought about much criticism. She was both a popular and controversial figure. Her works were banned for more than a decade after the Islamic Revolution. In more recent years, she has become Iran's most revered female poet. 

 20 
Ahmad Shamlou
(Iranian Poet and Journalist)
Ahmad Shamlou
2
Birthdate: December 12, 1925
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Tehrān, Iran
Died: July 23, 2000

Ahmad Shamlu was an Iranian poet, journalist, and writer. Widely regarded as one of the most influential poets of modern Iran, Shamlou is often counted among the pioneers of modern Persian poetry. Along with Nima, Shamlu has had the greatest influence on Iranian poets of his generation. Ahmad Shamlu is a recipient of prestigious awards like the Stig Dagerman Prize.

 21 
Abdolkarim Soroush
(Thinker and Reformer)
Abdolkarim Soroush
2
Birthdate: December 16, 1945
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Tehran

Iranian philosopher Abdolkarim Soroush, a former professor of the University of Tehran and the Imam Khomeini International University, has also taught at top-notch institutes such as Harvard and Princeton. Named to Time 100, he believes in a reformist version of Islam, with its core values intact.

 22 
Safi-ad-din Ardabili
(Poet)
Safi-ad-din Ardabili
2
Birthdate: 1252 AD
Birthplace: Ardabil, Iran
Died: September 12, 1334

Safi-ad-din Ardabili was a poet, teacher, mystic, and Sufi master. The spiritual heir of Zahed Gilani, Safi is credited with reforming the former's Sufi Order Zahediyeh and renaming it Safaviyya. He then led the Safavid order from 1301 to 1334. Safaviyya was the foundation of the famous Safavid dynasty, which reigned over Iran from 1501 to 1736.

 23 
Simin Daneshvar
(Iranian Academic, Novelist, Fiction Writer and Translator)
Simin Daneshvar
2
Birthdate: April 28, 1921
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Fasa, Iran
Died: March 8, 2012

Simin Daneshvar was an Iranian novelist, academic, translator, and fiction writer. In 1948, she became the first Iranian woman to have a collection of Persian short stories published. Simin Daneshvar also became the first Iranian woman to publish a novel when her work Savushun released in 1966; Savushun went on to become a bestseller.

 24 
Magtymguly Pyragy
(Poet)
Magtymguly Pyragy
0
Birthdate: May 18, 1733
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Hajji Qushan, Khorasan, Safavid Iran
Died: 1807 AD

Magtymguly Pyragy was a Turkmen spiritual leader, philosophical poet, and Sufi. He was a wide traveler who had traveled through the territories of present-day Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan. He worked as a silversmith to make a living and wrote poetry in his leisure time. He is considered to be the most famous figure in Turkmen literary history. 

 25 
Rosie Malek-Yonan
(Assyrian-American Actress, Author, Director and Musician)
Rosie Malek-Yonan
2
Birthdate: July 4, 1965
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Tehran, Iran
 26 
Simin Behbahani
(Iranian Contemporary Poet, Lyricist and Activist Known for Her Poems in a Ghazal-Style of Poetic Form)
Simin Behbahani
2
Birthdate: July 20, 1927
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Tehran, Iran
Died: August 19, 2014

Simin Behbahani was a prominent Iranian lyricist, contemporary poet, and activist. An icon of present-day Persian poetry, Behbahani was twice nominated for the prestigious Nobel Prize in literature. Simin Behbahani also received other prominent awards such as the Janus Pannonius Poetry Prize and Carl von Ossietzky Medal.

 27 
Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani
(Iranian Poet)
Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani
2
Birthdate: 0897 AD
Birthplace: Isfahan, Iran
Died: December 31, 0967
Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani was a genealogist, poet, litterateur, and musicologist in the 10th century. He was of Arab-Quraysh origin. He authored the Kitab al-Aghani ("The Book of Songs"), a book that has information about the earliest attested periods of Arabic music and the lives of ancient poets and musicians. He was also a scribe and a teacher. 
 28 
Muhammad ʿAli Jamalzadah
(Writer)
Muhammad ʿAli Jamalzadah
1
Birthdate: January 13, 1892
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Isfahan, Iran
Died: November 8, 1997

One of the best-known authors of Iran from the 20th century, Muhammad ʿAli Jamalzadah was born to a Muslim cleric and had initially studied law in France. He also taught Persian and was associated with the ILO, but is best remembered for his Persian short stories.

 29 
Baba Tahir
(Iranian Poet)
Baba Tahir
1
Birthdate: 1000 AD
Birthplace: Hamadan, Iran
Died: 1032 AD

Baba Tahir was an 11th-century Persian dervish poet from Hamadan, Iran. He was a mysterious figure known to lead a very spiritual and stoic lifestyle. A woodcutter by occupation,  he composed poetry in the Hamadani dialect of the Persian language. It is believed that he was a contemporary of the poet Ferdowsi and polymath Avicenna. 

 30 
Mohammad-Taqi Bahar
(Iranian Poet, Politician, Journalist and Historian)
Mohammad-Taqi Bahar
1
Birthdate: December 10, 1886
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Mashhad, Iran
Died: April 22, 1951

Mohammad-Taqi Bahar was a renowned Iranian scholar, poet, historian, journalist, politician, and Professor of Literature. Counted among the most influential cultural icons of modern Iran, Bahar had a strong impact on the progression of modern Persian poetry and literature through his literary magazine Majaleh-ye Dāneshkadeh. Bahar is also known as the father of another great historian and mythologist Mehrdad Bahar. 

 31 
Saib Tabrizi
(Poet)
Saib Tabrizi
1
Birthdate: 1592 AD
Birthplace: Tabrīz, Iran
Died: 1676 AD

Saib Tabrizi was a Persian poet considered to be one of the greatest masters of a form of classical Arabic and Persian lyric poetry known as the ghazal. He composed primarily in Persian and also wrote a few ghazals and molammas in Azerbaijani Turkic. Shah Abbas II, the emperor of Persia, bestowed upon him the title King of Poets. 

 32 
Bozorg Alavi
(Iranian Writer Best Known for His Short-Story Collection 'Chamadān')
Bozorg Alavi
1
Birthdate: February 2, 1904
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Tehrān, Iran
Died: February 18, 1997

Bozorg Alavi was an Iranian writer, novelist, and political intellectual. In 1941, he became a founding member of the communist Tudeh Party of Iran. The party proved to be influential in its initial years. After the 1953 coup against Premier Mohammad Mossadegh, Alavi went into exile and spent the rest of his life in East Germany. 

 33 
Khosrow Sinai
(Director)
Khosrow Sinai
1
Birthdate: January 19, 1941
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Sari, Iran
Died: August 1, 2020

Khosrow Sinai was an Iranian poet, composer, film director, screenwriter, and scholar. The first Iranian filmmaker to receive an international prize after the Iranian Revolution of 1979, Khosrow Sinai is best remembered for his celebrated film Bride of Fire, which won numerous awards in both international and domestic film festivals.

 34 
Anvari
(Persian Poet)
Anvari
1
Birthdate: 1126 AD
Birthplace: Abivard, Turkmenistan
Died: 1189 AD

Anvari was a Persian poet and astronomer. He studied science and literature at the collegiate institute in Toon and was a well-educated man. He mainly wrote panegyrics, eulogies, and satires, which were eventually collected in a Deewan. The Cambridge History of Iran has called him "one of the greatest figures in Persian literature." 

 35 
Hushang Golshiri
(One of the First Iranian Writers to Use Modern Literary Techniques)
Hushang Golshiri
1
Birthdate: March 16, 1938
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Isfahan, Iran
Died: June 5, 2000

Houshang Golshiri was an Iranian writer, editor, and critic. Widely regarded as one of the 20th century's most important writers of Persian prose, Golshiri was also one of the earliest writers from Iran to use modern literary techniques. Some of Houshang Golshiri's works like Prince Ehtejab and First Innocent have been adapted into films.   

 36 
Badi' al-Zaman al-Hamadani
(Man of letters)
Badi' al-Zaman al-Hamadani
1
Birthdate: 0969 AD
Birthplace: Hamedan, Iran
Died: 1007 AD

Badi' al-Zaman al-Hamadani was an Arab man of letters. He is best remembered for his collection of 52 episodic stories called Maqamat Badi' az-Zaman al-Hamadhani, which follow a rogue named Abu al-Fath al-Iskandari. He is also credited with inventing a literary genre called maqama

 37 
Sadeq Chubak
(Iranian Author of Short Fiction, Drama, and Novels)
Sadeq Chubak
1
Birthdate: August 5, 1916
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Bandar Bushehr, Iran
Died: July 3, 1998

Sadeq Chubak was an Iranian author whose literary works, especially novels, contemplate the dark side of society. In his novels, he often studied the lives of the downtrodden who are victimized by natural deterministic forces and iniquities. Sadeq Chubak is widely regarded as the best naturalist writer in Persian literature.

 38 
Mahmoud Shabestari
(Poet)
Mahmoud Shabestari
1
Birthdate: 1288 AD
Birthplace: Shabestar, Iran
Died: 1340 AD

Mahmoud Shabestari was a Persian Sufi poet whose works made him one of the most celebrated and decorated poets of the 14th century. Among his most important works is a mystic text named The Secret Rose Garden which was written about 1311.

 39 
Fariborz Raisdana
(Well-Known Leftwing Economist, Author, and Member of the Iranian Writer’s Association)
Fariborz Raisdana
1
Birthdate: January 19, 1945
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Tehran, Iran
Died: March 16, 2020

Fariborz Raisdana was an Iranian economist, socialist, and activist. He was also a professor and a member of the Iranian Writers' Association. After graduating from The London School of Economics, he embarked on an academic career. He criticized the Iranian subsidy reform plan in an interview with BBC Persian and was arrested because of this. 

 40 
Al-Sharif al-Jurjani
(One of the Most Influential Iranian Traditionalist Theologians of the 15th Century)
Al-Sharif al-Jurjani
1
Birthdate: 1339 AD
Birthplace: Gorgan, Iran
Died: 1414 AD

Al-Sharif al-Jurjani was a Persian traditionalist theologian and encyclopedic writer. He is credited with authoring over 50 books, 31 of which are extant. One of his best-known works, Al Taʿrīfāt, contains about 2100 definitions of Arabic terms in a glossary style. The book was edited by G Flügel and published in Cairo and St Petersburg in 1866 and 1897 respectively.

 41 
Daqiqi
(One of the Most Prominent Persian Poets of the Samanid Era)
Daqiqi
1
Birthdate: 0935 AD
Birthplace: Tous, Iran
Died: 0977 AD

Daqiqi was a prominent Persian poet of the Samanid era. He was most likely born into a family of Iranian landowners and grew up in an era that saw much growth in literature, especially poetry. A famous figure in the literary scene, he worked at the Samanid court under the Samanid ruler (amir) Mansur I.

 42 
Kamal Khujandi
(Persian Sufi and Persian ghazal poet of the 14th century)
Kamal Khujandi
0
Birthdate: 1320 AD
Birthplace: Khujand, Tajikistan
Died: 1400 AD

Kamal Khujandi was a Persian ghazal and Sufi poet who flourished during the 14th century. Regarded as one of the 14th century's great romantic poets, Khujandi played an influential role in Persian poetry. In 1996, a museum and monument were erected in Tajikistan to honor the great poet.

 43 
Morteza Motahhari
(Philosopher, Writer, Akhoond, Theologian)
Morteza Motahhari
2
Birthdate: January 31, 1919
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Fariman
Died: May 1, 1979

Morteza Motahhari was an Iranian Twelver Shia philosopher, scholar, and lecturer. A co-founder of the Combatant Clergy Association and Hosseiniye Ershad, Motahhari had a prominent influence on the principles of the Islamic Republic. Morteza Motahhari wrote more than 50 books that dealt with philosophy and theology. In 1965, he was honored with the UNESCO Award.

 44 
Fakhr-al-Din Iraqi
(Poet)
Fakhr-al-Din Iraqi
1
Birthdate: June 10, 1213
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Arak, Iran
Died: 1289 AD

Fakhr-al-Din Iraqi was a Persian Sufi master, writer, and poet. He is best remembered for authoring a collection of lyric poetry. Fakhr-al-Din Iraqi’s best known work Lama’at or Divine Flashes has been translated into Swedish, French, and English.