Sassan Tabatabai is a poet, translator, and scholar of medieval Persian poetry. He teaches Persian literature and humanities at Boston University. He is author of Father of Persian Verse: Rudaki and His Poetry (Leiden University Press) and Uzunburun: Poems (Pen & Anvil), and translator of the novel Blind Owl by Sadeq Hedayat (Penguin Classics).

Amir-Hussein Radjy, reviewing for The New York Times, describes Tabatabai's translation of Sadeq Hedayat's Blind Owl for Penguin Books as "much-needed and clear."

Erin Clemence, reviewing Tabatabai's Hedayat translation in Mystery & Suspense: "This uncensored, translated version of one of the most prolific and controversial novels of the last century is a life-changing experience."

From Amazon, a review of Sufi Haiku from customer "ebb and flow": "This lovely book is produced in a way remarkably suited to its content. With one three-line poem printed on a spacious, cream-colored background, each page, interspersed with occasional illustrations, encourages one to slow down and absorb the meaning and vividness of the haiku. Those who take the time to do so will discover in the experience a great sense of peace and tranquillity, an oasis from worldly cares."

Springs Toledo, author of The Gods of War, regarding Tabatabai's collection Uzunburun: "This book is stunningly good ... These poems and others offer unforgettable glimpses into the wonder that was Persia and the talent that is Sassan Tabatabai."

A five-star reader review on Amazon: "The essence of the haiku is concision where the fewest words achieve the greatest effect, where meaning is neither imposed nor circumscribed. These poems, inspired by authors as diverse as Lao Tzu and the Sufi poet Attar, achieve a perfect tone with subtlety and grace, offering understanding without instruction, clarity without distinction, as the lover merges with the beloved, the soul with the oneness of God. Tabatabai s lightness of touch, like that of a Sufi master, belies a profound wisdom that resonates through this collection like a spiritual awakening passing from heart to heart."

Catherine Enwright is at the time of publication a PhD candidate in English Literature. She focuses on twentieth-century literature, and is currently writing about connections between WWI literature and the Gothic tradition. For the 2023-24 academic year, she will be at the École Normale Superieure as a pensionnaire étranger. She can be contacted regarding art commissions via her personal website.