Seyyed Mohammad Hossein Behjat Tabrizi, better known by his pen name Shahriar, stands as one of the most iconic literary figures in modern Iranian literature. Born on January 11, 1906, in Tabriz, and passing away on September 17, 1988, Shahriar created a bridge between the traditional Persian literary heritage and the emerging socio-political consciousness of the 20th century. A master of both Persian and Azerbaijani Turkish poetry, his words resonated with love, mysticism, patriotism, and deep personal sorrow. His literary career spanned over six decades and encompassed diverse forms of poetry, such as ghazal, masnavi, rubai, qasida, and Nimaic poetry.
Early Life and Family Background
Shahriar was born into a cultured family in the Chaykenar neighborhood of Tabriz. His father, Mir Agha Behjat Khashganabi, was a well-respected lawyer, and his family hailed from Khoshkenab, a village in Bostanabad County. His mother, known as “Nane Khashganabi”, had a profound influence on his emotional and moral upbringing. The early part of his life was spent amidst the socio-political turmoil of early 20th-century Iran, including the Constitutional Revolution and the collapse of the Qajar dynasty.
Due to health epidemics in Tabriz during his childhood, Shahriar was sent to the family’s ancestral village where he formed an unbreakable bond with nature, rural traditions, and mountain life, especially Mount Sahand—motifs that would dominate his later poems, especially in his Turkish compositions.