Mohammad-Ali Sepanlou

Mohammad-Ali Sepanlou (محمدعلی سپانلو) (November 20, 1940 – May 11, 2015) was an Iranian poet, author, and literary critic.

He has been a founder member, a member of the executive board, and editor of the journal of the Writers’ Association of Iran, in which capacity has opposed both the former regime of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and the Islamic Republic of Iran, speaking out against censorship.

Sepanlou also translated works of several renowned writers and poets, Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus as well as Horace McCoy, Yiannis Ritsos, Arthur Rimbaud, and Guillaume Apollinaire into Persian.

He took part in many literary seminars and conferences around the world, introducing Iranian culture and literature to writers, critics, and book-enthusiasts in other countries.

He also tried his hand at acting and appeared in films by Amir Qavidel, Nasser Taghva’ee and Ali Hatami.