Draft:Encyclopedia of Poetry

Poetry Encyclopaedia. This source book authored by Professor Sayed Hassan Amin , has been composed and compiled according to the thematic method. It discusses and evaluates the most basic and fundamental issues related to poetry and creative writing. In order of priorities, it starts with generalities and then deals with more detailed issues. Thus in this encyclopedia, the definition of poetry, its function in the society or the sociology of poetry as well as it's philosophy are explained. The volume has 16 well thought out sections with titles such as the physics and metaphysics of poetry, the history and geography of poetry, the reflection of politics in poetry, the sociology of poetry, the forms and contents of poetry, the chronology of poetry in Iran and the world, the philosophy of poetry, the psychology of poetry, and finally the styles, types and categories of Persian poetry. The Encyclopedia frequently refers and cites the non-Persian thinkers, poets and writers from the various parts of the world in different languages.It also often concentrates on the function of poetry in society, including it's role in leading and supporting political and social movements and even unrests,revolts and revolutionary events. The author provides a long bibliography and ends his book with an English summary and conclusion. This section is an overview of Persian poetry throughout the history of written literature in general and the transformations of poetry and its content in particular. The book give a detailed account of the following topics: Poetry from the point of view of Western writers and poets, including the ancient philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle's view towards poetry, Islam's approach to poetry, The! causes of Iranians' tendency towards accepting poetry as the highest art. The book gives examples of Hafez's fight with the political and clerical regimes of his time. It also talks of the influence of poetry in the spreading of the culture of Eastern mysticism and it's contribution to the mass awakening leading to the popular demands for Constitutional Movement or even the 1979 Islamic revolution. Other topic covered, are classic Persian poets such as Rumi, Hafiz, Ferdausi, Sa'adil.

There are other volumes of this work about different aspects of poetry, types and formats of Persian poetry based on contemporary poetry which were published in Hafez Monthly.
The Encyclopedia of Poetry written by Professor Sayed Hassan Amin was first published in 2008  by  Encyclopaedia of Iran Publications in 500 pages. It received many reviews including the following:

1. M R Tabrizi Shirazi, in Resalat Newspaper, highly praised the author and the book 2. Aminollah Rashidi in a review published in Hafez Monthly 3.Javad Laghziyan in a review in Asia newspaper, 16 Esfand 1394, p 23 4. Touran Sharyari, in Mehr Iran Reference sources: Poetry Encyclopedia by S H Amin. Tehran, The Encyclopedia of Iran Publications m. 2008