Munira Taha

Munir Taha (1930), daughter of Husayn. Born in Tabriz, she lived with her paternal aunt from the age of two and enjoyed her motherly love and dedicated her poem, Gul-i Kaghazi (paper flowers), to her. She received her primary and high school education in Tehran and later studied Persian Language and Literature at the Faculty of Letters, the University of Tehran where she obtained her Ph.D. in the same program. She embarked upon her poetical career in high school and contributed her poetry to newspapers and journals. Her first collection of poetry, Sarguzasht, appeared in 1953, to be followed by Durahi and Mazda. Her poetry was well-received as she improved it. She composed poetry in different genres, though she mainly wrote elegant ghazals. She was one of the poets whose works shone in the world of modern Persian literature in the 1950s and 1960s. having obtained her Ph.D. in literature in 1957, she journeyed to the States and Canada, where she settled and continued her cultural activities and composed poetry. An excellent calligrapher and musician as well as a popular poetess, her poems and songs were set to music during the 1950s, 60s and 70s by the foremost Persian classical composers and sung by some of Iran’s best vocalists.

Sukhanvaran-i Nami-yi Mu’asir-i Iran (5, 3411-3415); Karnama-yi Zanan-i Kara-yi Iran az Diruz ta Imruz (534).