Saedi’s exile, however, was not merely physical—it was an emotional and cultural displacement that weighed heavily on him. In his own words, he did not want to leave Iran but was left with no choice due to the oppressive regime’s relentless crackdown on political and cultural figures. His health deteriorated in exile, and on November 23, 1985, Saedi passed away from an internal hemorrhage at the Saint-Antoine Hospital in Paris. He was only 49 years old. Saedi was laid to rest in the famous Père-Lachaise Cemetery, where many luminaries of literature, art, and politics are buried.
Shahrukh Maskoob, a fellow writer and intellectual, described Saedi’s funeral in his memoirs. The atmosphere was somber, with rain and overcast skies reflecting the collective grief of those in attendance. Maskoob wrote, “The sadness of loneliness and the open mouth of death in front of the blade of fate” captured the poignant reality of Saedi’s untimely death and the loss felt by the Iranian intellectual community.
A Legacy of Pureness and Creativity
Saedi’s literary works were often published under the pseudonym Gohar Morad, a name imbued with personal and mystical significance. While literary critic Abdul Ali Dastgheib speculated that Saedi adopted the pseudonym from a mystical work by Hazin Lahiji, Saedi himself revealed that the name was inspired by a grave he had encountered in an abandoned cemetery behind his house in Tabriz. The grave belonged to a young girl named Gohar, the daughter of Murad. This connection to mortality and memory underscores the depth of Saedi’s creative vision and his ability to find profound meaning in everyday experiences.
Saedi, an Azeri by ethnicity, had a deep appreciation for his mother tongue but also recognized the unifying role of the Persian language in fostering national solidarity. In an interview with BBC Radio, he described Persian as “the backbone of a great nation” and emphasized its importance in preserving Iranian identity. His reverence for language is evident in his works, which are celebrated for their lyrical quality, rich imagery, and profound insight into the human condition.