Fereydoun Farrokhzad
Encyclopedia
Fereydoun Farrokhzad PhD. (October 7, 1938 - August 6, 1992) was an Iranian singer, actor, poet, TV and radio host, writer, and political opposition activist. He was the younger brother of the acclaimed Persian poet Forough Farrokhzad
.
He was stabbed to death and beheaded on 6 August 1992, at his home in Bonn
, Germany
. The murder was "widely believed to be the work of the Iranian government" which had carried out other murders against Iranian dissidents abroad. Prior to his murder, Farrokzhad had been involved in producing a radio programme critical of the Islamic Republic of Iran and its founder and reportedly received death threats.
." This radio station reported that Farroukzad had received death threat
s for his activities in opposition to the regime, allegedly from the Iranian secret police. Farrokhzad also participated in a film, "I Love Vienna", which was considered by some Iranian authorities to be anti-Islamic.
On August 6, 1992 Farrokhzad was stabbed 40 times with a knife at his home in Bonn
, Germany
. He was found three days later by his neighbor, his body lying in a pool of blood with his dog whimpering beside him.
has said that he owes his success to Farrokhzad.
Forough Farrokhzad
Forugh Farrokhzād was an Iranian poet and film director. Forugh Farrokhzad is arguably one of Iran's most influential female poets of the twentieth century...
.
He was stabbed to death and beheaded on 6 August 1992, at his home in Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The murder was "widely believed to be the work of the Iranian government" which had carried out other murders against Iranian dissidents abroad. Prior to his murder, Farrokzhad had been involved in producing a radio programme critical of the Islamic Republic of Iran and its founder and reportedly received death threats.
Biography
Fereydoun Farrokhzad was born in "Chahar Raheh Gomrok" (Gomrok Intersection), a neighborhood in Tehran, Iran. He was the second of seven children (Amir, Massoud, Mehrdad, Forough, Pouran, Gloria). After graduating from high school he went to Germany and Austria for his post-secondary education. He got his Ph.D. in political science from a university in Berlin. At a young age Farrokhzad had a passion for poetry and for singing. He turned that passion to reality in 1962 when he started writing poems in Germany, which were published in two German newspapers. In 1964 Farrokhzad published his collection of poems called "Fasleh Deegar" (Another Season). His book was critically acclaimed and was honored by many famous German poets. Five months after the release of "Fasleh Deegar" Farrokhzad received the Poetry Award of Berlin. For a couple years Farrokhzad was a member of the Munich Academy of Poetry. In 1966 he found his way to the Television and Radio of Munich. On Radio he had a comedy and music progoram which played middle eastern music including music from Iran. On TV he created and produced a show called خيابان های آلپ (Alpine Roads). In 1967 he returned to Iran and performed on successful radio and TV shows. His most successful and famous TV show was "Mikhakeh Noghrei" (Silver Carnation). The show was wached by millions of Iranians. On the show Farokhzad introduced and discovered many famous Iranian artists including Sattar, Shohreh, Shahram Solati, Ebi, Morteza, Rouhi Savoji, Hamid Shabkhiz, Leila Forouhar, Saeed Mohammadi and many more. After the 1979 revolution, Farroukhzad was imprisoned, then released. He escaped the country and settled in Germany.Family life
Farrokhzad married and divorced twice. His first marriage took place in 1962, to a German woman named Ania Buchkowski, whom he met at Oxford. Like Farrokhzad, she had a passion for poetry and theater; it was after meeting her that Farrokhzad started writing poems. They divorced, but they had a son called Rostam. His second marriage, to an Iranian woman, also ended in divorce.Political views
According to the Voice of America, Farroukhzad was known by his fans as an "educated patriot" who frequently criticized the Islamic Republic and its leaders and who was present during many demonstrations against the clerical government.Death
Farrokhzad produced a weekly radio show for the "Voice of the Flag of Freedom Organization of Iran," the radio station of the Organization of Kaviyani Banner, an "organization of exiled supporters of the Iranian monarchyIranian monarchy
Iranian monarchy may refer to:*pre-Islamic Iran**2700 BC – 519 BC Elamite Empire**715 BC – 549 BC Median Empire**558 BC – 330 BC Achaemenid dynasty**247 BC – 224 AD Arsacid dynasty **224 AD – 651 AD Sassanian dynasty*Islamic Iran...
." This radio station reported that Farroukzad had received death threat
Death threat
A death threat is a threat of death, often made anonymously, by one person or a group of people to kill another person or groups of people. These threats are usually designed to intimidate victims in order to manipulate their behavior, thus a death threat is a form of coercion...
s for his activities in opposition to the regime, allegedly from the Iranian secret police. Farrokhzad also participated in a film, "I Love Vienna", which was considered by some Iranian authorities to be anti-Islamic.
On August 6, 1992 Farrokhzad was stabbed 40 times with a knife at his home in Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He was found three days later by his neighbor, his body lying in a pool of blood with his dog whimpering beside him.
Legacy
To this day Farrokhzad is considered one of the best entertainers and showman that Iran has ever had. His songs are still played on Iranian TV and Radio shows outside of Iran. Many artists like Saeed Mohammadi and Shahram Shabpareh have done covers of his famous songs. He is responsible for the success of many Iranian artist that are famous today. Singer EbiEbi
Ebi is a Persian Singer-songwriter and performer currently living in Marbella, Spain. He has combined musical influences from traditional Persian music, western pop and sometimes Latino style rhythms and is a major name in Persian music...
has said that he owes his success to Farrokhzad.
See also
- Mina AssadiMina Assadi-Biography:Mina Assadi is a famous poet, author, journalist and songwriter who lives in exile in Stockholm, Sweden. She is known for writing about controversial and provocative subjects, especially when she describes the fight against the Iranian regime. In 2007 she wrote the poem called "Pimps"...
- Simin BehbahaniSimin BehbahaniSimin Beh'bahāni is one of the most prominent figures of the modern Persian literature and one of the most outstanding amongst the contemporary Persian poets. She is Iran's national poet and an icon of the Iranian intelligentsia and literati who affectionately refer to her as the lioness of Iran...
- EbiEbiEbi is a Persian Singer-songwriter and performer currently living in Marbella, Spain. He has combined musical influences from traditional Persian music, western pop and sometimes Latino style rhythms and is a major name in Persian music...
- Forough FarrokhzadForough FarrokhzadForugh Farrokhzād was an Iranian poet and film director. Forugh Farrokhzad is arguably one of Iran's most influential female poets of the twentieth century...
- Pooran FarrokhzadPooran FarrokhzadPooran Farrokhzad or Puran Farokhzad is an Iranian poet. She is author of Encyclopedia of Women Culture Makers in Iran and in the World....
- Saïd Soltanpour