Abu-Nasr Fathullah-Khan Sheybani

Born 1830 in Kashan; died 1891 in Tehran. Persian poet.

Sheybani, a follower of Sufism, befriended the poor and reflected their life in his poems. Themes frequently encountered in his poetry include dissatisfaction with life and criticism of the injustice of the rulers and flaws in the social structure. In his “panegyrics” he denounced the shah’s indifference to the plight of the country. Sheybani’s works heralded social criticism in Persian literature and furthered the birth of critical realism. His poetic style was simple and laconic, also an innovation for Persian literature. Sheybani’s poems are collected in two divans.