Lean Against This Late Hour is a collection of poetry by Garous Abdomalekian, one of the most prominent figures in the Iranian literary world and well-known throughout the non-English speaking world. This translation from the Persian by Ahmad Nadalizadeh and Indra Novey is the first time his work appears in English. The poems are political, spiritual, personal, lyrical, fantastical, and spare. He reminded me a little of Frederico Garcia Lorca (which also is the title of one of his poems). Many of the author’s images evoke war and political conflict and there are lots of memorable lines (e.g., “Tell me how to manage my smile/when they have planted land mines all around my lips”). If you’re a poetry person, you’ll want to read this translation. There’s a vibrant world of poetry outside English-speaking countries, folks. Here’s a review that appeared in Asymptote Journal:
https://www.asymptotejournal.com/criticism/garous-abdolmalekian-lean-against-this-late-hour/
