Khalida Furugh (born 1972; Persian: خالده فروغ) is an Afghan poet and academic. She is considered one of the country's leading female poets.[1]

Biography

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Khalida Furugh was born in Kabul in 1972.[2] After graduating high school, she studied literature at Kabul University.[3]

Early in her career, she joined Radio Afghanistan's arts and literature department, eventually becoming head of the literature section in 1994.[3] She left Afghanistan during the Taliban's rule in the 1990s and early 2000s, living in Pakistan, and then returning after their fall.[3]

Furugh is best known for her work as a poet.[4] Her writing is popular in Afghanistan.[4] She has been described as one of the "most promising poets of her generation," and she is considered one of her country's leading female poets.[1][2][3][5]

Her writing is tied to her Persian background and identity, incorporating elements of Persian mythology.[2][4] She seeks to reconcile Afghanistan's past and present.[2] Her work also deals with women's roles in society, although she rejects the idea that there is a distinct "feminine" or "masculine" form of poetry, arguing poetic writing is not inextricably linked to a gender binary.[2][3] She has published at least six books of poetry, including "Resurrection of Mithra" (1994), "Always Five in the Afternoon" (2007), "In Streets of Sleep and Memories " (2001), "Cemetery Is Endless Novel" (2009), "In World's Empty Alley" (2009), and "My Tomorrow Happened Yesterday " (2012).[2][4]

Furugh is a faculty member at Kabul University, where she teaches Persian language and literature.[1][4][2] She has also written works of literary criticism and produced a literary program for the TOLO TV channel.[2][6] During her time in Pakistan, she ran the magazine Sadaf.[3] She is also a notable member of the PEN Afghanistan Center.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Heath, Jennifer; Zahedi, Ashraf (2011-03-23). Land of the Unconquerable: The Lives of Contemporary Afghan Women. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-94899-0.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Fani, Aria (2012-03-28). "Daughters of Afghanistan: Literary Voices of Change". Frontline. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "خالده فروغ کیست؟‏". Deutsche Welle (in Dari). 2012-03-23. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  4. ^ a b c d e Seyyedrezayi, Tahereh; Bovan Shahryari, Ali Asghar; Badr, Narges Mohammadi; Payamani, Behnaz (March 2016). "Iranian identity and expression in poetry of Khalida Forough (Afghan poet), Farzana Khujandi (Tajik poet)". International Journal of Humanities and Cultural Studies.
  5. ^ Reza Mohammadi, Seyed (2012-03-23). ""خالده فروغ مهمترین شاعر افغانستان"". Deutsche Welle (in Dari). Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  6. ^ "Commemorating International Book and Children's Book Days" (PDF). Armanshahr. May 2013. Retrieved 2022-03-15.