About the Book
Diary of a Tree is a poem in two books from the point of view of a tree. Born in Tehran, Iran in 1944, Goli Khalatbary followed her father through his diplomatic postings as a girl. She saw many countries, many towns, and many landscapes, but could not have childhood friends. Poetry was the revelation of a summer day in a classroom, at 14, when she glanced at the window and was entranced by the way light transformed a drab scene into one that changed her heartbeat. Her earliest studies were in French, in schools and by correspondence. The full power of art occurred to her like another language when, at 18, she took a course in photography in England. In a career in this field spanning more than 35 years, she produced mostly portraiture and illustrations for poetry. After moving to India she wrote the first book of Diary of a Tree, and showed it as a text exhibition at the India International Center, Delhi. In recent years she has expanded into new media and started working with silver, as well as bronze, iron, stone, and photography. She is now back in Tehran, where she shows her work in yearly exhibitions.
Excerpt
- no settlers yet
- just passing meteors
- sowing light dust
- on severances
- my heart may be a native
- of the night sky
- but I miss so many of you
- and I miss so much of you
