Mohammad Bagher Kolahi Ahari was born in 1950 in Mashhad, Khorasan. His first collection Above the Four Elements was published in 1977. He published six more collections of poetry. Kolahi has developed his distinct voice inspired by lyrical and elegiac traditions of Persian poetry combined with his story-telling talent. Many of Kolahi’s poems contain a narrative containing elements of folk tales and description of rural Khorasan. In his poems, he very often depicts the life and the stories of marginalized groups of the society like gypsies, petty criminals and labourers.
Nomadic imagery and surrealistic metaphors give a mysterious tone to Kolahi’s poetry. Although deeply rooted in tradition, he uses a very modern language which is vivid and alive and full of everyday jargon.
As a youth, he was a member of a theatre troupe and has recently published his first collection of short stories. Kolahi works as a teacher and lives in Mashhad, Iran.
