Fereydoun Farrokhzad (Persian: فریدون فرخزاد; October 7, 1938 – August 3, 1992) was an Iranian showman, host, poet, actor, political activist, singer, humanitarian, and writer. He is best known for his television variety show The Silver Carnation which introduced many artists such as Ebi, Leila Forouhar, Shohreh, Sattar and many more.
Farrokhzad was forced into exile after the Islamic Revolution in 1979. After relocating to Germany, he was the victim of a murder widely believed to be set up by the Islamic Republic government as part of the chain murders.[1][2]
Fereydoun Farrokhzad was born in Tehran, to career military officer Colonel Mohammad Bagher Farrokhzad (originally from Tafresh) and his wife Touran Vaziri-Tabar.[3] He was the fourth of seven children (Pooran, Amir (Masoud), Forugh, Fereydoun, Gloria, Mehrdad, and Mehran). After graduating from high school he went to Germany and Austria for his post-secondary education. He received his doctorate in political science from Munich University.
At a young age Fereydoun had a passion for poetry and for singing. He turned that passion to reality in 1962 when he started writing poems in German which were published in two German newspapers. In 1964 he published his collection of poems called "Fasleh Deegar" (Another Season). His book was critically acclaimed and was honored by many German poets. Five months after the release of "Fasleh Deegar", Fereydoun Farrokhzad received the Poetry Award of Berlin. For a couple of years Farrokhzad was a member of the Munich Academy of Poetry.[citation needed] In 1966 he found his way to the Television and Radio of Munich. On Radio he had a comedy and music program which played middle eastern music including music from Iran. On TV he created and produced a show called "Khiyaban-haye Alp" (Alpine Roads). In 1967 he returned to Iran and performed on successful radio and TV shows. His most successful TV show was "Mikhakeh Noghrei" (Silver Carnation), and his radio show which aired every other Friday mornings called "Jom'eh Bazzar" (Friday Bazaar). The TV show was watched by millions of Iranians. On the show Farrokhzad introduced and discovered a number of Iranian artists including Sattar, Shohreh, Shahram Solati, Ebi, Morteza, Rouhi Savoji, Hamid Shabkhiz, Leila Forouhar, Saeed Mohammadi, and various others. After the 1979 revolution, Farrokhzad was imprisoned, then released. He escaped the country and settled in the country of his youth college years, Germany.[4]
Politics and activism
Political views
According to Voice of America, Farrokhzad was known by his fans as an "educated patriot" who frequently criticized the Islamic Republic and its leaders and who was present during many demonstrations against the clerical government.
Farrokhzad produced a weekly radio show for the "Voice of the Flag of Freedom Organization of Iran," the radio station of the Organization of Kaviyani Banner, an "organization of exiled supporters of the Iranian monarchy."[5] Farrokhzad also acted in a film, I Love Vienna,[6] which was considered by some Iranian authorities as anti-Islamic.[4][failed verification]
Personal life
Esfandiar Monfaredzadeh claimed that Farrokhzad was homosexual.[7] He said: "His main obstacle was the homosexuality that he was not ashamed of; he knew it and he wanted people to understand it."
Farrokhzad married and divorced twice. His first marriage took place in 1962, to a German-Polish woman named Ania Buchkowski, whom he met in Oxford. Like Farrokhzad, she had a passion for poetry and theater; it was after meeting her that Farrokhzad started writing poems. The result of this marriage was a son named Rostam. Farrokhzad and Ania later separated and got divorced. In 1974 he married an Iranian woman named Taraneh.[citation needed][8]
Farrokhzad's grave in Nordfriedhof, Bonn, Germany.
On the evening of August 3 police officers responded to cries for help at the building where Farrokhzad lived but were unable to identify the apartment where the screams originated from.[10][11] On August 8, 1992, Farrokhzad's body was found in the kitchen of his apartment in Bonn, Germany after neighbours reported barking by his two dogs. Farrokhzad had been killed violently, having been stabbed repeatedly in the face and upper torso.[12] Many urban legends surround Farrokhzad's death, including the widely repeated myth that he was beheaded.
Prior to his murder, Farrokzhad had been involved in producing an opposition radio program and reportedly received death threats. In his show the Royal Albert Hall in London he criticized Khomeini and made fun of Khomeini's obsession with sex in his Ressaleh book, which followed death threats and concerns for him.[5]
According to the U.S. state-funded Voice of America (VOA), the murder was "widely believed to be the work of Iran's Islamic government".[1]
Legacy
Farrokhzad remains a significant Iranian cultural icon whose popular music and television programs continue to be circulated through various media platforms. His murder—a political assassination of a celebrity activist entertainer—is a well known and oft-cited event amongst Iranians.
^Hooman Askary; Shahriar Siami; Carl Schreck (December 10, 2021). "Revelations In Grisly Death Of Iconic Iranian Dissident: Did Tehran Hire A Friend To Kill Him?". rferl.org. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
^"Iranian entertainer murdered in Germany". upi.com. United Press International. August 9, 1992. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
^"IRANIAN OPPOSITION FIGURE SLAIN IN GERMANY". Reuters News. August 8, 1992.
External links
Media related to Fereydoun Farrokhzad at Wikimedia Commons
Fereydoun Foundation on Official Farrokhzad Foundation Website September 27, 2020, at the Wayback Machine
Wikiquote has quotations related to Fereydoun Farrokhzad.
January 31, 2023
fereydoun, farrokhzad, persian, فریدون, فرخزاد, october, 1938, august, 1992, iranian, showman, host, poet, actor, political, activist, singer, humanitarian, writer, best, known, television, variety, show, silver, carnation, which, introduced, many, artists, su. Fereydoun Farrokhzad Persian فریدون فرخزاد October 7 1938 August 3 1992 was an Iranian showman host poet actor political activist singer humanitarian and writer He is best known for his television variety show The Silver Carnation which introduced many artists such as Ebi Leila Forouhar Shohreh Sattar and many more Fereydoun FarrokhzadBorn 1938 10 07 October 7 1938Tehran Imperial State of IranDiedAugust 3 1992 1992 08 03 aged 53 Bonn GermanyAlma materLudwig Maximilian University of Munich Dr sc pol OccupationsShowman host poet actor political activist singer humanitarian writerYears active1962 1992SpousesAnia Buchkowski m 1962 div 1972 wbr Taraneh Sandoozi m 1974 div 1974 wbr ChildrenRostamRelativesForugh Farrokhzad sister Pooran Farrokhzad sister Musical careerGenresPopLabelsAvang Music Caltex Records Taraneh Enterprises Inc Pars VideoFarrokhzad was forced into exile after the Islamic Revolution in 1979 After relocating to Germany he was the victim of a murder widely believed to be set up by the Islamic Republic government as part of the chain murders 1 2 Contents 1 Early life and career 2 Politics and activism 2 1 Political views 3 Personal life 4 Death 5 Legacy 6 Filmography 6 1 Film 7 See also 8 References 9 External linksEarly life and career EditFereydoun Farrokhzad was born in Tehran to career military officer Colonel Mohammad Bagher Farrokhzad originally from Tafresh and his wife Touran Vaziri Tabar 3 He was the fourth of seven children Pooran Amir Masoud Forugh Fereydoun Gloria Mehrdad and Mehran After graduating from high school he went to Germany and Austria for his post secondary education He received his doctorate in political science from Munich University At a young age Fereydoun had a passion for poetry and for singing He turned that passion to reality in 1962 when he started writing poems in German which were published in two German newspapers In 1964 he published his collection of poems called Fasleh Deegar Another Season His book was critically acclaimed and was honored by many German poets Five months after the release of Fasleh Deegar Fereydoun Farrokhzad received the Poetry Award of Berlin For a couple of years Farrokhzad was a member of the Munich Academy of Poetry citation needed In 1966 he found his way to the Television and Radio of Munich On Radio he had a comedy and music program which played middle eastern music including music from Iran On TV he created and produced a show called Khiyaban haye Alp Alpine Roads In 1967 he returned to Iran and performed on successful radio and TV shows His most successful TV show was Mikhakeh Noghrei Silver Carnation and his radio show which aired every other Friday mornings called Jom eh Bazzar Friday Bazaar The TV show was watched by millions of Iranians On the show Farrokhzad introduced and discovered a number of Iranian artists including Sattar Shohreh Shahram Solati Ebi Morteza Rouhi Savoji Hamid Shabkhiz Leila Forouhar Saeed Mohammadi and various others After the 1979 revolution Farrokhzad was imprisoned then released He escaped the country and settled in the country of his youth college years Germany 4 Politics and activism EditPolitical views Edit According to Voice of America Farrokhzad was known by his fans as an educated patriot who frequently criticized the Islamic Republic and its leaders and who was present during many demonstrations against the clerical government Farrokhzad produced a weekly radio show for the Voice of the Flag of Freedom Organization of Iran the radio station of the Organization of Kaviyani Banner an organization of exiled supporters of the Iranian monarchy 5 Farrokhzad also acted in a film I Love Vienna 6 which was considered by some Iranian authorities as anti Islamic 4 failed verification Personal life EditEsfandiar Monfaredzadeh claimed that Farrokhzad was homosexual 7 He said His main obstacle was the homosexuality that he was not ashamed of he knew it and he wanted people to understand it Farrokhzad married and divorced twice His first marriage took place in 1962 to a German Polish woman named Ania Buchkowski whom he met in Oxford Like Farrokhzad she had a passion for poetry and theater it was after meeting her that Farrokhzad started writing poems The result of this marriage was a son named Rostam Farrokhzad and Ania later separated and got divorced In 1974 he married an Iranian woman named Taraneh citation needed 8 Besides his native language Persian He spoke German 9 Death Edit Farrokhzad s grave in Nordfriedhof Bonn Germany On the evening of August 3 police officers responded to cries for help at the building where Farrokhzad lived but were unable to identify the apartment where the screams originated from 10 11 On August 8 1992 Farrokhzad s body was found in the kitchen of his apartment in Bonn Germany after neighbours reported barking by his two dogs Farrokhzad had been killed violently having been stabbed repeatedly in the face and upper torso 12 Many urban legends surround Farrokhzad s death including the widely repeated myth that he was beheaded Prior to his murder Farrokzhad had been involved in producing an opposition radio program and reportedly received death threats In his show the Royal Albert Hall in London he criticized Khomeini and made fun of Khomeini s obsession with sex in his Ressaleh book which followed death threats and concerns for him 5 According to the U S state funded Voice of America VOA the murder was widely believed to be the work of Iran s Islamic government 1 Legacy EditFarrokhzad remains a significant Iranian cultural icon whose popular music and television programs continue to be circulated through various media platforms His murder a political assassination of a celebrity activist entertainer is a well known and oft cited event amongst Iranians Filmography EditFilm Edit Year Title Role Director Notes1991 I Love Vienna Ali Mohamed Houchang Allahyari Selected as the Austrian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 64th Academy AwardsSee also Edit Poetry portalList of unsolved murders Forugh Farrokhzad Mina Assadi Simin BehbahaniReferences Edit a b 48 Hours remembered the great showman Fereydoun Farrokhzad VOA News June 23 2008 Payvand News Dialogue of Murder Michael C Hillman A lonely woman Forugh Farrokhzad and her poetry Washington D C Mage Publishers 1987 p 7 a b Final Report of the Special Representative unhchr ch a b Refworld Chronology of Events June 1989 July 1994 see 3 August unhcr org Archived from the original on October 10 2012 Hezelayagh Hassan June 25 2012 I Love Vienna 1991 IMDb شب بود فریدون فرخزاد YouTube www youtube com Archived from the original on December 14 2021 Retrieved August 16 2020 Pre Revolutionary Iranian Pop Googoosh to Farrokhzad Public Radio International The Early German Poetry of Fereydoun Farrokhzad Stanford University Hooman Askary Shahriar Siami Carl Schreck December 10 2021 Revelations In Grisly Death Of Iconic Iranian Dissident Did Tehran Hire A Friend To Kill Him rferl org Retrieved August 9 2022 Iranian entertainer murdered in Germany upi com United Press International August 9 1992 Retrieved August 9 2022 IRANIAN OPPOSITION FIGURE SLAIN IN GERMANY Reuters News August 8 1992 External links Edit Media related to Fereydoun Farrokhzad at Wikimedia Commons Fereydoun Foundation on Official Farrokhzad Foundation Website Archived September 27 2020 at the Wayback Machine Farrokhzad s biography on BBC Fereydoun Farrokhzad at IMDb Farrokhzad s documentaries Radio Farda investigation documentary Wikiquote has quotations related to Fereydoun Farrokhzad Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Fereydoun Farrokhzad amp oldid 1135349559, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
