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Ali Alizadeh Ali Alizadeh i(A64921 works by)
Born: Established: 1976 Tehran,
c
Iran,
c
Middle East, Asia,
;
Gender: Male
Arrived in Australia: ca. 1989
Heritage: Iranian
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BiographyHistory

Award-winning Iranian-born Australian poet.

Alizadeh migrated to Australia after living through the Islamic Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War. He is a writer of poetry, criticism and plays; among the major themes of his works are history, dissent, and the dilemmas of religion and spirituality.

Alizadeh holds a PhD in writing from Deakin University, Melbourne. He has spent time teaching writing in China, Turkey, and Dubai. In 2018, he was teaching contemporary creative writing, literary theory, and literary studies at Monash University in Melbourne, a position he had held for some time.

Among his works are poetry collections (including Ashes in the Air), creative non-fiction (including Iran: My Grandfather), novels (including The New Angel and The Last Days of Jeanne d'Arc), and short-story collections (including Transactions). In 2018, he was working on a study of Karl Marx's philosophy of art, due for publication in 2019.

Exhibitions

Most Referenced Works

Awards for Works

y separately published work icon The Last Days of Jeanne d'Arc Artarmon : Giramondo Publishing , 2017 11521910 2017 single work novel historical fiction

'Ali Alizadeh’s novel The Last Days of Jeanne d’Arc is a new interpretation of the life of one of history’s most fascinating figures, Joan of Arc. Countless books have been written about the young Frenchwoman who claimed to hear the voices of saints, led the armies of France in the war against England in the Middle Ages, and was captured and burnt for heresy by her enemies. This novel, while based on a rigorous and extensive study of the existing historical material, tells the well-known story in a new and provocative way. Alizadeh provides the first serious dramatisation of Jeanne’s sexuality. He uses an innovative storytelling technique that weaves together a range of narrative perspectives to tell the story of a courageous young woman who, driven by a forbidden desire and a passion for justice, changes the course of Western history.' (Publication Summary)

2018 shortlisted Mascara Avant-garde Awards Fiction
2018 longlisted ASAL Awards ALS Gold Medal
y separately published work icon Ashes in the Air St Lucia : University of Queensland Press , 2011 Z1755431 2011 selected work poetry
2012 shortlisted Prime Minister's Literary Awards Poetry
y separately published work icon Iran : My Grandfather Yarraville : Transit Lounge , 2010 Z1741327 2010 single work biography 'A vanished, tattered black and white photograph, taken in Tehran in 1946. The image of a sombre and inscrutable middle-aged man called Salman Fuladvand, a lieutenant and controversial police chief under Iran's second last king. It is the memory of this photograph that begins Ali Alizadeh's story of his grandfather Salman's life, spanning Salman's youthful devotion to the advancement of his country and the emancipation of Iranian women, his conflicts with the shahs, his wrongful imprisonment, and his eventual embracing of Sufi mysticism.

Iran: My Grandfather is a rare mix of narrative, memoir, history and personal exploration. It recounts Iran's journey from progressive idealism to the ravages of tyranny, imperialism and religious reaction. It is a testament to the mistakes of the past and the present, an examination of family and identity, and an interrogation of the meaning of home and belonging. As Alizadeh writes, this story is 'a thread to show the path out of the labyrinths'.

'Iran, My Grandfather is a work of recovery, resistance, and affirmation. I think one can say without risk of hyperbole that it is one of the most remarkable texts ever to have been published in Australia.' John Kinsella' (Publisher's abstract)
2011 shortlisted New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Multicultural NSW Award
Last amended 17 Sep 2019 11:01:54
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