Mohammad-Ali Sepanlou

Mohammad-Ali Sepanlou (1940–2015) was an Iranian poet, author, and literary critic born in Tehran. He opposed both the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi regime and the Islamic Republic, advocating for freedom of speech and press freedom despite facing censorship. A founder member, executive board member, and editor of the Writers’ Association of Iran journal, Sepanlou was deeply involved in Iranian literature.

Educated at Dar ul-Funun high school and graduating from Tehran University’s Law Faculty in 1963, he published over 60 books, many translated into multiple languages including English, French, German, Swedish, Dutch, and Arabic. He also translated works by Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, Horace McCoy, Yiannis Ritsos, Arthur Rimbaud, and Guillaume Apollinaire into Persian.

Sepanlou participated in international literary conferences, introducing Iranian culture globally. His book *Pioneer Writers of Iran* remains a significant educational resource. Despite censorship challenges, some works were published abroad. He acted in films by Amir Qavidel, Nasser Taghva’ee, and Ali Hatami, and his poetry collections documented Tehran’s history.

Receiving the French Legion of Honour and Max Jakob Memorial Award for his contributions, Sepanlou married Partow Nooriala and passed away in Tehran in 2015.