A Study of Socialist Ideas in the Poetry of Two Iranian Party Poets

The Iranian Constitutional Revolution (1906) and its outcomes opened new doors to the public, and made poets, in particular, address new social and cultural themes that were not previously considered to have any priority. After the Revolution, the formation of leftist parties as well as movements and socialist revolutions, and the emergence of political regimes out of these revolutions, which occurred first in Tsarist Russia and then elsewhere in the world, influenced Persian literature. In addition, socialist slogans were in line with the ideals and needs of some of Iranian intellectuals and social and cultural activists, including writers and poets. Accordingly, from the Constitutional era onwards, a group of poets with inclinations towards, and membership in, left-wing socialist parties, began to criticize the status quo with a socialist approach and struggled against what was called the manifestations of the Capitalist system. These efforts were reflected in their poetry to a remarkable extent. In this paper, we, first, study Socialist ideas, principles and concepts, and the conditions for their introduction to Iran; then, we discuss the reflections of these ideas and concepts in the poetry of 
Lahuti and Afrashteh, two poets who were officially members of a Socialist party. Objections to class and wealth gap, equal rights, and the defense of the rights of workers and peasants are among the most important issues that these poets, using the Socialist terminology, have dealt with in their poems.
 
Extended Abstract
 
1. Introduction
Persian poetry has served as the most popular tool for Iranians to express their feelings and ideas about important issues of their lives and even the afterlife. No comprehensive research on Iranian art, science and culture can be conducted without studying Persian poetry in different eras. It should be noted that in Iranian poetry the extent to which different issues are dealt with depends on the social, religious and political conditions of each era. That is why most Iranian poets in the past refuse to directly refer to political and social issues – as compared with other common topics – of their time.
 
2. Theoretical Framework
The Constitutional Revolution (1906), as the most significant political, social and cultural event in the early twentieth-century Iran, became the point of departure for many movements and approaches in the above-mentioned areas while, at the same time, introduced new concepts and ideas such as liberty, the parliament, the law, the nation, and the franchise to Persian poetry. Moreover, following the 1917 Revolution in Russia, some socialist parties were formed in Iran, which greatly influenced Iranian literature. In the present article the main ideas promoted in the poetry of two proponents of this movement have been analyzed.
 
3. Methodology
The present study adopts the descriptive-analytic approach to discuss when and how socialism entered Iran. Using a library-based method, socialist concepts that have found their way into the poetry of Abolqasem Lahuti and Mohammad Ali Afrashteh have been studied.
 
4. Findings
The present study shows that socialist ideas can be seen in the poetry of Abolqasem Lahuti more than that of his other contemporary poets, which might be due to his long stay in the Soviet Union and membership of the Communist Party of that country. He openly criticizes capitalism and inequality in his poetry. The poetry of Mohammad Ali Afrashteh is also politically loaded. He supports the working class and denounces the capitalist system.
 
5. Conclusion
Socialism, which is a philosophical school of thought serving as the basis of some political systems, has attracted numerous followers, among which the Tudeh Party of Iran was quite popular with Iranian intellectuals in the mid-20th century. Many Iranian poets followed this school and relied on its main components to express their ideas. Lahuti and Afrashteh were among the most prominent figures of this leftist movement who tried to serve this cause in their poetry.