When Arcade Publishingoriginally contracted this extraordinary collection of poetry and literature,the Department of the Treasury was attempting to censor the publication ofworks from countries on America's enemies list. Arcade, along with the PENAmerican Center, the Association of American Publishers Professional andScholarly Publishing Division, and the Association of American UniversityPresses, filed a lawsuit in federal court against the United States government.Their landmark case forced the Office of Foreign Assets Control to change theirregulations regarding editing and publishing literature in translation, andArcade is proud to reissue this anthology that showcases the developments inIranian literature over the past quarter-century. Since the Iranian revolutionof 1979, the United States has been virtually cut off from that country'sculture. Despite severe difficulties imposed by social, political, and economicupheavals, as well as war, repression, and censorship, a veritable culturalrenewal has taken place in Iran over the past quarter-century, not only inliterature, but in music, art, and cinema. Over forty writers from threegenerations contributed to this rich and varied collection-or, to use thePersian term, golchine, a bouquet-onethat provides a much-needed window into a largely undiscovered branch of worldliterature. In the wake of the Green Revolution and sweeping changes in theregion, this particular golchine ismore relevant than ever, and will bring literary enjoyment as well as a fullerunderstanding of a complex and ever-shifting culture.