Mendeley TY _ JOUR ID - 1404012349920 TI - Analysis of the Poetics of Imagery in the Surrealist Perspective: Nima Youshij JO - Pazhūhish-i Źabān va Adabiyyāt-i Farsī JA - ES LA - fa SN - 1735-1030 AU - hosseini sara AD - Y1 - 2025 PY - 2025 VL - 77 IS - SP - 83 EP - 109 KW - Surrealism KW - Nima Youshij KW - Collected Poems KW - Marginal Movement KW - Imagery. DO - N2 -

Analysis of the Poetics of Imagery

in the Surrealist Perspective: Nima Youshij


Sara Hosseini*


Nima Youshij, the father of modern Persian poetry, was the first in contemporary Persian verse to engage with surrealism, with surrealist elements traceable in some of his poems and imagery. Although surrealism in Nima’s poetry constitutes a marginal current, this study, through examination of his collected works, concludes that from his earliest poems (“Afsaneh” and “Ey Shab”) to his last works (“Shab ast” and “Rira”), he consistently showed an inclination toward this movement. Unlike romanticism and symbolism, which appear in specific periods of his poetry, surrealist elements and surrealist imagery are consistently present in his work. This study, using a descriptive-analytical method, seeks to answer two key questions: (1) Did Nima have an inclination toward surrealism, and (2) Was surrealism a central or marginal movement in his poetry? The study categorizes Nima’s surrealist imagery into ten groups, demonstrating the validity of the claim that Nima Youshij tended surrealism.

Keywords: Surrealism, Nima Youshij, Collected Poems, Marginal Movement, Imagery.


Extended Abstract

Surrealism, or the school of hyperrealism, is a literary movement that emerged from Dadaism in the aftermath of World War I. Both of these movements were rebellious reactions to the turmoil, mental distress, and social pressures that followed the war. Surrealism emerged around 1920, led by André Breton in France. The first surrealists were Dadaists who rebelled against everything, even their own intellectual foundations. This rebellious and anti-nihilistic nature led them to reject Dadaism and all nihilistic systems, starting a new path that they called surrealism.

Disillusionment with Dadaist nihilism, despair and anxiety from World War I, the search for truth, attention to the war-free geography of the East, and familiarity with Islamic mysticism and methods of spiritual realization were some of the key factors that led to a departure from Dadaism and the establishment of a new surrealist intellectual system. Although surrealists today, like André Breton and his companions, stood in violent opposition to Dadaist nihilism, it should not be overlooked that Dadaism itself was not an entirely barren or unproductive movement. As "the essential prelude to the birth of surrealism," it can be said that Dadaism was a highly fertile source (Seyed Hosseini, 2008, vol. 2, p. 785). The modern man of the twentieth century, with his scientific and industrial achievements, awaited an all-encompassing flourishing in life; however, the experience of war revealed that not only had nothing changed, but humanity had also entered a more complex crisis. To overcome this, it was necessary to return inward, exploring the under-experienced realms of the unconscious, in search of new realizations. This shift in perspective among intellectuals and artists, more than anything, was a response to the widespread despair of the era and an attempt to avoid falling again into the grip of nihilism.

Surrealism, relying on specific techniques, aimed to explain and elaborate on its theory. The core of these techniques is a return to the inner self and an escape from the confines of external reality. This study aims to trace the surrealist streak in Nima Youshij’s poetry as a marginal tendency compared to romanticism, symbolism, and realism in his works, an aspect that has so far been overlooked in research focused on Nima's works.

A poetic image refers to a portion of a poem or the entire poem that evokes a scene, much like a painting or a photograph. In surrealist discourse, images possess unique characteristics that distinguish them from other types of imagery. Therefore, one may encounter surrealist images in romantic, symbolic, realistic, or surrealistic poetry. The poet’s goal in creating such images is to link the poem with abstract spaces beyond the realm of reality. This study examines Nima’s poetic images with this perspective and seeks to answer two essential questions: (1) Are there traces of surrealism and surrealist images in Nima Youshij’s poetry? (2) Was surrealism a central movement in Nima’s poetry, or was it a secondary, marginal one?

Theoretical Framework

Nima Youshij is not only a poet but also a theorist, with hundreds of letters, notes, and essays that reveal his poetic thought. These theoretical works can be regarded as his effort to present a poetic doctrine, which he then realized in his own poems. There has always been disagreement among critics as to whether Nima should be considered solely a poet or also a poet-theorist. However, it seems that Nima’s work cannot be reduced to mere poetry. He was confronted with the centuries-old, solid structure of Persian poetry, and the idea of changing it would have been impossible without theory, planning, and a revolutionary movement. Thus, presenting Nima as a poet-theorist is not a far-fetched claim.

It appears that Nima’s innovation and creativity were facilitated by, firstly, his familiarity with certain Western philosophical theories and literary schools, which undoubtedly played a part in the philosophical and social changes in the modern man. Additionally, through translations and the influence of Western modern art, Nima was exposed to a fresh perspective that paved the way for his creation of a new foundation in Persian poetry.


Categorization of Nima’s Surrealist Imagery

Analyzing surrealist and non-surrealist imagery in Nima’s poetry led to a tenfold categorization based on surrealist features. These categories include: placelessness and timelessness, automatism, deliberate distortion of scales, dissolution of form, the marvelous and magical, disrupting causal relationships and focusing on randomness, authenticity of imagination, dreams and visions, love and eroticism, animism, and the beauty of tension and contradiction. These elements will be further analyzed in the study.


Conclusion
Nima Youshij was confronted with the ancient, immovable edifice of Persian poetry and knew that changing it required a revolutionary theory and movement. It can now be concluded, after a century of Nima’s work, that he was successful not only as a poet but also as a theorist.
Surrealism, one of the literary movements of the 20th century, sought to break conventional linguistic structures and represent the inner world, and offer beauty in a tense, subversive manner. Through the study of Nima’s works, it becomes evident that surrealism was not a dominant movement in his poetry, but rather a marginal one. However, surrealist imagery can be found throughout his poetry, scattered across various works. These images, categorized into ten types, include non-spatial, individualized, dynamic, ambiguous, deep, melancholic, non-dramatic, multi-layered, and a blend of subjectivity and objectivity.


References

Arianpour, Yahya (1995) Az Saba ta Nima, Vol. 3, Tehran: Zowar.

Al-Bouyeh Langroodi, Abdolali (2007) “From Yush to Jikour: A Comparative Study of ‘Afsaneh’ by Nima Youshij and ‘Fi al-Souq al-Qadim’ by Badr Shakir al-Sayyab,” Comparative Literature, 1(2), pp. 1–16.

Akhavan Sales, Mehdi (2017) Innovations and Marvels of Nima Youshij, 7th ed., Tehran: Zemestan.

Babachahi, Ali (1998) Isolated Statements: A Critical Review of Contemporary Iranian Poetry, Vol. 1, Tehran: Narenj.

Brahani, Reza (1965) Gold in Copper (On Poetry), Tehran: Chehre Printing House.

Bahram Pour Omran, Ahmadreza (2018) In the Entire Night: A Study of Nima Youshij’s Literary Views, 2nd ed., Tehran: Morvarid.

Pourhamdollah, Mohammad (2019) “Nima’s Influence from Translations of Western Literary Works,” Journal of Contemporary Iranian Poetry and Fiction Movements, 1(2), pp. 49–66.

Hoghooghi, Mohammad (2015) Modern Poetry from the Beginning to Today, Vol. 1, Tehran: Sales.

Hamidian, Saeed (2002) The Story of Transformation (The Evolution of Nima Youshij’s Poetry), Tehran: Niloufar.

Jourkesh, Shapour (2011) The Poetics of Modern Poetry, 3rd ed., Tehran: Ghoonous.

Royaee, Talayeh (2019) “Poetics of Images and Objects in Surrealist Discourse,” Contemporary World Literature Studies, No. 58, pp. 103–122.

Royaee, Yadollah (2016) On the Red Platform, 3rd ed., Tehran: Negah.

Seyed-Hosseini, Reza (2008) Literary Schools, Vol. 1, 15th ed., Tehran: Negah.

Shafiei-Kadkani, Mohammadreza (2011) With Light and Mirror, 7th ed., Tehran: Sokhan.

Gheibi Hajivar, Nejat et al. (2018) “A Surrealist Reading of the Collection ‘Afsaneh’ by Nima Youshij and the Collection ‘If You Were Sleeping in Noah’s Ark’ by Sargon Boulus,” Journal of Comparative Literature Studies, 12(4), pp. 85–105.

Fotouhi, Mahmoud (2006) The Rhetoric of Imagery, 1st ed., Tehran: Sokhan.

Langroodi, Shams (1998) Analytical History of Modern Poetry, Vol. 1, Tehran: Markaz.

Nass, John B. (1991) A Comprehensive History of Religions, tr. Aliasghar Hekmat, Tehran: Amoozesh Enghelab Eslami.

Youshij, Nima (2014) Letters, Tehran: Negah.

----------------- (2015) On Art, Poetry, and Poetics, Tehran: Negah.

----------------- (2018) The Complete Poems, Tehran, Negah, Aragon, Louise (1967). Forgetfulness or Blanche, Paris: Gallimard.

 

 

 

 

 

* Ph.D in Persian Language and Literature, University of Ilam, Iran.

sara.hosseini42@yahoo.com

 
UR - rimag.ir/en/Article/49920 L1 - rimag.ir/en/Article/Download/49920 ER -