A rich and varied collection of contemporary short stories, extracts from novels, and poetry that will go a long way toward informing the English-speaking world of the latest developments in Iranian literature.

Since the Iranian revolution of 1979, we have been virtually cut off from that country's culture. Despite severe difficulties imposed by social, political, and economic upheaval, war, repression, and censorship, there has been a veritable cultural renewal in Iran over the past 25 years, not only in literature, but also in music, art, and cinema. Now for the first time we have selections from the work of over 50 men and women from three generations in translation, which goes a long way toward filling that gap.

This sampling - or to use the Farsi term golchine, a bouquet - provides a window onto an important but sorely neglected segment of world culture. We hope it will also serve to awaken further interest in the work and in translations of Iranian novelists and poets. The poetry section is edited and introduced by Ahmad Karimi-Hakkak, professor of Persian literature at the University of Maryland.