Javad Mojabi, prominent Iranian writer and critic, dies at 86

Javad Mojabi, a prominent Iranian poet, writer, journalist, and critic of literature and visual arts, has passed away in Tehran at the age of 86 following a period of illness. Born in Qazvin, Mojabi was a multifaceted figure in contemporary Iranian culture, contributing extensively to poetry, short stories, novels, satire, and drama.

Throughout his career, Mojabi served as the cultural editor for the Etela'at newspaper and collaborated with various literary publications. He was also a significant researcher of modern Iranian art, notably authoring the two-volume work ‘Ninety Years of Innovation in Iranian Visual Arts’.

Beyond his creative works, Mojabi was a well-known advocate for freedom of expression and a critic of censorship. He was a long-standing member of the Iranian Writers Association and a signatory of the historic ‘We Are Writers’ manifesto in 1994, which demanded intellectual and professional independence for authors. Colleagues and fellow artists have remembered him as a mentor and a vital link to the generation of artists from the 1960s.