He was born in 1928 in city of Rasht, some 240 kilometers (150 miles) northwest of Tehran, the capital. He began writing when he was young and published his first book of poetry when he was just 19. Throughout the 20th century, Ebtehaj contributed to the popularity of the ghazal — a traditional form of Persian poetry set to music that expresses the writer’s feelings, especially about love, with moving intensity.