Falaki, Mahmood

Mahmood Falaki © Hami Abbaspur

Mahmood Falaki was born in Ramsar in Northern Persia in 1951. He studied chemistry and library science in Iran as well as German and Iranian studies in Hamburg, where he received his doctorate on Goethe-Hafis. In Iran during the Shah’s reign, he was sentenced to three years in prison for his political-literary activities. After the mullahs took over power, he had to leave the country in 1983. He went to Germany and has lived in Hamburg since 1986. Falaki writes in Persian and German. His extensive literary oeuvre includes poetry, stories and novels, as well as literary works. His works also contains a Persian textbook for Germans in three volumes. He has been invited to give lectures and readings in various European countries as well as in the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Festival Content

PERSIAN POETRY IN EUROPEAN EXILE: As much of the fatherland as I’ve got in my suitcase

READING, TALK AND MUSIC – Developments in Iran over the past few decades have forced countless writers into exile, often with little more than their own language in tow. “As much of the fatherland as I have in my suitcase” is a poem about exile by the poet Esmail Kho’i, who passed away in London in 2021.

Abiz, Alireza • Ekhtesari, Fatemeh • Falaki, Mahmood • Schaffa, Mudzgan • Rafani, Roshanak • Aras, Maryam • Abdollahi, Ali • Samawatie, Cymin