Abu’l-Qasim Lahuti

Biography

Lahuti Kirmanshahi, Mirza Abu al-Qasim (1885/1887-1956/1957), son of Miraz Ahmad Ilhami. A writer, journalist, translator, and poet with the nom de plume Lahuti. Born in Kermanshah and having studied in his hometown, he departed for Tehran to further his studies. He published ‘night letters’ and writings of a political nature in the course of the Constitution Movement and was an adherent of the Fida’is (Devotees). He studied religious sciences in his youth and wore the clerical attire. After a while, he turned towards Sufism, abandoned the clerical attire, and found employment at the gendarmerie. Charged with murdering an inferior, he fled to the Ottoman Empire in 1911 and taught at the Persian school there. Having returned to Persia after a while, he published the Bisutun newspaper in Kermanshah, but he returned to Turkey and published the literary journal Pars in French and Persian in Istanbul. He returned to Persia in 1921 and served at the gendarmerie in Tabriz. He attempted to stage a coup with some comrades in 1922, he fled to Russia after the coup failure and conducted studies on Persian language and literature till his last days. He was appointed the honorary director of the Academy of Sciences in Tajikistan and also taught for a while at the Faculty of Oriental Studies at the University of Moscow. Believing in Marxism, he used his poetical talent to fulfill the ideals of the working class. He was a revolutionary, vigorous, and renowned poet who composed passionate and appealing ghazals. He may be regarded as one of the forerunners of modern poetry. He died in Russia and was laid to rest there. His works include Iran-nama; Jang-i Adamizad ba Diw; Durr-afshan; La’ali-yi Lahuti; translation of some of the works of Pushkin into Persian verse; translation of Firdawsi’s Shahnama into Russian verse; Divan of poetry.

Asar-afarinan (5/ 96); Sukhanwaran-i Nami-yi Mu’asir-i Iran (5/ 3113-3118).