Sohrab was born in Kashan, Iran in 1928. He completed his elementary and secondary education in Kashan and moved to Tehran in 1943 to study at teachers' college. He worked as a teacher for a few years, then enrolled as a student in the faculty of fine arts school at University of Tehran and graduated with honors. Sohrab Sepehri was very talented in fine arts and his paintings were displayed in many European exhibits. He is one of Iran's foremost modernist painters. Unfortunately, Sohrab suffered from leukaemia which terminated his short but rich life on April 28, 1980. Sohrab never got married and his grave in Kashan is frequently visited by many art lovers.
Poetry
Well-versed in Buddhism, mysticism, and Western traditions, he blended the Eastern concepts with Western techniques, thereby creating a kind of poetry unsurpassed in the history of Persian literature. To him, new forms were new means to express his thoughts and feelings. In one of his works called 'Footsteps of Water' or ‘The Water’s Footfall’ Sepehri introduces himself, his family, and his way of thinking in a poetic form. This poem which is written like a biography has two aspects: the inner and outer. The Inner aspect of this poem is about God's recognition through the beauty of nature. Sepehri beautifully explains that he doesn't blindly do his religious duties. In most of his poems, Sepehri introduces a new form of literature by using romanticism and symbolism. The beauty of his poems is seen through his inspiration of nature and the use of tender and simple language. Abdolali Dastgheib, acclaimed literary critic writer, believes that Sepehri has reached great levels in poetic language following the publication of his later books such as ‘The Water’s Footfall’, ‘Traveler’ and ‘The Green Volume’. He has used a special symbolism in these poems that makes the objects talk to the reader, rather than explaining those objects. Sepehri's poetry is full of humanity and concern for human values. His poetry has been translated into many languages including English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Swedish, Arabic, Turkish and Russian. An English translation of his selected poems by Ali Salami was published in 2003.
He traveled to Europe and visited several countries such as Germany, England, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy and Austria – 1966
He published some long poems after he returned to Iran – 1966
He hosted a painting exhibition in Tehran 1967
He published another book in poetry 1967
He traveled to Greece and Egypt – 1974
He published his final book called 'Hasht Ketab', which was the collection of almost all of his published poems in one volume – 1976
He got Leukemia and traveled to England for treatment – 1978
Unfortunately, his attempt to defeat cancer brought him no result. He returned to Iran and died in Pars Hospital in Tehran on Monday April 21, 1980. Buried in Mashhad Ardehal, Kashan Province, Iran.
