Spring and Literary Criticism

The book “Spring and Literary Criticism” by Iraj Parsinejad examines the views of Mohammad-Taqi Bahar on Persian literature. Mohammad-Taqi Bahar (Malek o-Shoara) contributed significantly not only as a poet but also in the field of literary research and modern literary criticism in Iran. His critical opinions about Persian poetry and prose, which avoid the extremes of critics before and after him in the old versus new orientations, may seem conservative, but are not devoid of realism. Bahar’s critical theories in literature oscillate between tradition and modernity due to their dependence on past traditions and beliefs on one hand, and reformist tendencies derived from Iran’s Constitutional Movement and acquaintance with new Western modern concepts on the other. For this reason, he believed in a calm and moderate literary modernism. The book critically analyzes Bahar’s considerable contribution to the history of literary criticism and research in Persian poetry and prose, thoroughly examining his noble legacy despite its strengths and weaknesses.