Poetry Nights of Goethe and the Islamic Revolution of Iran

In the fall of 1977, the Writers' Association of Iran, in collaboration with the Goethe Institute in Iran, held ten nights of poetry and lectures in the garden of the German embassy, which became known as the Goethe Poetry Nights. At that time, the issue of "censorship" had crippled the writers. Therefore, an opportunity was provided according to which the center could use it well. More than sixty writers and poets recited poems and lectured against the prevailing atmosphere of "oppression" and "censorship" on these nights. Huge crowds from all over Iran attended the meetings. The result of the presence of people and intellectuals from different walks of life, formed one of the most important and largest cultural events before the Iranian revolution, which also affected the Iranian political scene. In a way, some analysts consider poetry nights as the beginning of the fall of the Pahlavi regime. With this in mind, our main question in this study is: What effect has the holding of Goethe Poetry Nights by the Writers' Association had on the formation of a revolutionary atmosphere in the years leading up to the Islamic Revolution? The research findings indicate that Goethe Poetry Nights, along with other protest movements that took place during that period, by breaking the atmosphere of intimidation and self-censorship in the press, strengthened the revolutionary spirit, especially among intellectuals, students and artists. It has helped to create a sense of rebellion that is the prelude to a revolutionary movement. The method of the present study is qualitative and analytical-descriptive due to its theoretical nature. Using this method, the researcher tries to investigate the effect of Goethe Poetry Nights on the formation of revolutionary sparks in the last year of the Pahlavi regime.