Return [Paperback]

Ala Khaki (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 4, 2005

Return is a selection of poems from 1978 to 2005 by Ala Khaki, an Iranian poet and writer, now living in New England. It is a mirror of emotions, shared universally by many in Diaspora, reflecting in verse anxieties, hopes, disappointments, the desire to set roots in the adopted land while longing for the day that dawning of freedom makes a return to the land of birth possible, and above all, an uncompromising love for humanity.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ala Khaki is a novelist and poet, born in Iran in 1955. His engagements in pro-democracy movement began in 1970. In 1974 and again in 1975 while a student at the Aryamehr University of Technology in Tehran he was imprisoned by SAVAK, the Shah’s secret police. In 1978, following his second release, SAVAK confiscated and burned copies of his first book of selected pomes titled “From Here to Sunrise”. Soon after, a tip from a relative with ties to the military that Ala was on a death squad list, forced him into exile in America. In America Khaki continued his activism against the reign of terror of the Islamic regime that followed the deposed Shah’s rule. In 1981 after an interview with KLRU, Austin’s PBS station, he came to the attention of Argent Film headed by Ross McElwee, Michel Negroponte, and Alexandra Anthony. They produced a documentary film about him called “Resident Exile”, which film made its way into a few theaters and PBS stations. The Boston Globe reviewer called it “a powerful and heartbreaking film with scenes right out of Kafka.” Khaki’s works have appeared in Iranian Literary Journals abroad such as The Book Review, Par (Feather), and Thought & Imagination. He published “Calling the Dawn” a selection of his Farsi poems in 1993, and “Return” a selection of his English poems in 2006 Poet John Michael Albert calls Ala Khaki “an exceptionally fine -- refined -- poet, fully aware of the conventions of great Iranian literature, bringing the full force of its elegance and power to bear on late 20th century Iranian politics”. Ala Khaki has been a feature at 2005 and 2006 New England Poetry Conference and other poetry venues such as Stone Soup Poets, Poets Corner, and Poetry Presence, a guest speaker at Brandies University, and a reader at the Iran Freedom Concert sponsored by Harvard University student organizations. He currently lives in New Hampshire working on his memoirs, a novel, and two books of selected poems, one in Farsi and another in English.

Product Details

• Paperback: 54 pages
• Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (November 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1419615718
• ISBN-13: 978-1419615719
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,088,510 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful; I want more, February 12, 2006

By 

John Michael Albert "John-Michael Albert" (Portsmouth NH) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Return (Paperback)

I studied Medieval and Renaissance Spanish in college, leading me to explore Arabic and Persian literature (in English translation) -- first, ancient, then, modern. So, I'm quick to pick up any translation of modern "Middle Eastern" poets to see where the art is. Khaki's small book does not disappoint. Here is an exceptionally fine -- refined -- poet, fully aware of the conventions of great Iranian literature, bringing the full force of its elegance and power to bear on late 20th century Iranian politics. Most of us know about the Shah, the Savak, Khomeini, the Ayatollahs, the US alliance with Sadam Hussein during the Iran/Iraq War -- but we rarely stop to think of the net effect of all of this turmoil (a nice word for systematic arrests, murders, brutal executions, disappearances all in the name of supplying or denying certain commodities to the West) on soul of a nation whose poetic traditions are at least 2,000 years older than ours. My only complaint here is that this book -- with only 34 pages of poetry -- is much too short. More rewarding, and certainly more worthy of the author, would have been a book that included translations of selections from his Farsi poetry. That's a plea, not a pan.

5.0 out of 5 stars Passionate and Stimulating, October 12, 2006

By 

J. Goldberg - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Return (Paperback)

The poems are poignant, rich and overflowing with a wide spectrum of emotions. They will touch the heart of anyone who has loved, laughed, hoped or deeply suffered. Ala's poems are succinct and piercing, using just the right number of words and phrases to encapsulate raw emotion. As read the poetry, I felt myself empathizing with the inexorable pain he must have endured at the hands of his captors. Yet, despite this suffering he never lost hope in the redeemable emotions of humanity, in love, tenderness and kindness. I recommend this book to everyone as a catalyst for human compassion and as a stimulus for greater perception of emotional depth.