The late Forugh Farrokhzad is one of Iran's most important poets. She wrote from a female point of view in the 1950s and '60s, about strong, rebellious, unapologetic women. She was ostracized for it, and her own fierce independence ended with repudiation by her father and family.
Undaunted, Farrokhzad went on to reshape the poetry field as the country's first modern feminist poet, inspiring countless admirers. Among them is Elmira Louie, who graduated in June with degrees in comparative literature and English; indeed, it's fair to say Farrokhzad's work-and that by other international feminist poets of her era-has instilled in Louie a direction for her life.
As a Robert Donald Clark Honors College student, Louie was required to complete a research thesis. Iranian-born and fluent in Farsi and Spanish, she examined the work of Farrokhzad, Spaniard Rosalía de Castro, and Turk Gülten Akin.
