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Rooftops of Tehran
In Sholeh Wolpe s Rooftops of Tehran , an unforgettable cast of characters emerges, from the morality policeman with the poison razor blade to the crow-girls flapping their black garments, from the woman with the bee-swarm tattoo emerging from her crotch to the author as a young girl on a Tehran rooftop with a God s eye view hovering above a city / where beatings, cheatings, prayers, songs, / and kindness are all one color s shades. Here is a delicious book of poems, redolent of saffron and stained with pomegranate in its vision of Iran and of the immigrant life in California. Wolpe s poems are at once humorous, sad, and sexy, which is to say that they are capriciously human, human even in that they dream of wings and are always threatening to take flight.
Tony Barnstone, Award winning poet and translator, author of The Golem of Los Angeles
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Tony Barnstone, Award winning poet and translator, author of The Golem of Los Angeles
"
112 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2008
3 people are currently reading
88 people want to read
About the author
Sholeh Wolpé
16 books52 followersSholeh Wolpé is an Iranian-born poet, playwright and literary translator.
Sholeh's literary work includes five collections of poetry, several plays, three books of translations, and three anthologies. Her most recent book, Abacus of Loss: A Memoir in Verse (Univ. of Arkansas Press, March 2022) is hailed by National Book Award finalist Ilya Kaminsky as a book “that created its own genre—a thrill of lyric combined with the narrative spell.”
Her translations of 12th century Sufi mystic poet, Attar, The Conference of the Birds (W.W. Norton & Co), and 20th century Iranian rebel poet Forugh Farrokhzad, text Sin: Selected Poems of Forugh Farrokhzad (Univ. of Arkansas Press) have garnered awards and established Wolpé as a celebrated literary translator.
Sholeh’s newest musical project is an oratorio, The Conference of the Birds—An Oratorio, composed by Fahad Siadat, and Choreographed by André Megerdichian. It will premiere at the Broad Stage in Los Angeles in June 2022.
Sholeh travels internationally as a performing poet, writer and public speaker and has performed her literary work with world-renowned musicians at Quincy Jones Presents series at The Edye, Skirball Cultural Center Series, Los Angeles Aloud, The Broad Museum, LA County Museum of Art Ahmanson stage, Singapore Literature Festival, UNSW School of Arts and Media theater in Sydney, Jaipur Literature Festival, Kala Khoda Festival in Mumbai, Tasmania Art Center, Brisbane jazz stage, as well as other venues in China, Spain, India, UK, the US.
She has lived in Iran, Trinidad and the UK, and presently divides her time between Los Angeles and Barcelona.
Sholeh's literary work includes five collections of poetry, several plays, three books of translations, and three anthologies. Her most recent book, Abacus of Loss: A Memoir in Verse (Univ. of Arkansas Press, March 2022) is hailed by National Book Award finalist Ilya Kaminsky as a book “that created its own genre—a thrill of lyric combined with the narrative spell.”
Her translations of 12th century Sufi mystic poet, Attar, The Conference of the Birds (W.W. Norton & Co), and 20th century Iranian rebel poet Forugh Farrokhzad, text Sin: Selected Poems of Forugh Farrokhzad (Univ. of Arkansas Press) have garnered awards and established Wolpé as a celebrated literary translator.
Sholeh’s newest musical project is an oratorio, The Conference of the Birds—An Oratorio, composed by Fahad Siadat, and Choreographed by André Megerdichian. It will premiere at the Broad Stage in Los Angeles in June 2022.
Sholeh travels internationally as a performing poet, writer and public speaker and has performed her literary work with world-renowned musicians at Quincy Jones Presents series at The Edye, Skirball Cultural Center Series, Los Angeles Aloud, The Broad Museum, LA County Museum of Art Ahmanson stage, Singapore Literature Festival, UNSW School of Arts and Media theater in Sydney, Jaipur Literature Festival, Kala Khoda Festival in Mumbai, Tasmania Art Center, Brisbane jazz stage, as well as other venues in China, Spain, India, UK, the US.
She has lived in Iran, Trinidad and the UK, and presently divides her time between Los Angeles and Barcelona.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 13, 2020
A revealing look into the life of an Iranian girl and woman in Tehran. The Male and Female come through as strong impulses, expressed with the faces and voices of mother, father, uncle, brother, stranger.
My personal reason for reading this: From 1977 to 1979, I lived in Tehran as a 15-17 year old American, and I spent many hours on the rooftop of the two houses we lived in at the time (my own short story from that time, here: https://www.deviantart.com/saint-augu...).
My personal reason for reading this: From 1977 to 1979, I lived in Tehran as a 15-17 year old American, and I spent many hours on the rooftop of the two houses we lived in at the time (my own short story from that time, here: https://www.deviantart.com/saint-augu...).
December 1, 2021
I picked this book after reading Sholeh Wolpe's beautiful translations of Forough Farrokhzad's Sin. I didn't personally connect with the first section of poems... however the book really picks up pace in section 2 and continues beautifully from there. Her style is very different from Farrokhzad, there are echoes of similarity but the translations in the other book definitely stand alone. Her use of words is wonderful. Her subject matter is more tangible and familiar- a reflection and interpretation on our current world.
August 13, 2020
I'm loving the work of Sholeh Wolpe right now, and this is a wonderfully written book of poetry.
February 22, 2021
Vibrant, elegant, wistful and brave. In the quiet moments I picked this volume up and reading the poems gave me a sense of stillness, peace and yearning
June 9, 2013
great great story...
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews