Biography 

Parwana Fayyaz is a scholar of Persian literature and culture between 1000 and 1600, with a focus on long narrative poems (masnavi). Through her research, she sheds light on the cultural exchanges between East and West, and the interaction of Islam with the Greco-Roman and Christian-European worlds. Her upcoming book, Persian Neoplatonism in Verse: Jami’s Poetry and Poetics, will explore the integration of Neoplatonic philosophy and mysticism in Jami’s poetry. In her ongoing work, Parwana examines other overlooked intersections, such as the reception of classical Persian romance during the colonial period and the portrayal of nursing women in romantic Persian poetry. Originally from Kabul, Afghanistan, Parwana grew up in Pakistan as a refugee. She later pursued her first degree at Stanford University before completing her doctorate at Trinity College, Cambridge, in 2020. Shortly thereafter, she was elected to a four-year research fellowship at Peterhouse, Cambridge. Parwana is also a poet herself and translator working with multiple languages. Her debut poetry collection, Forty Names, inspired by Afghan-Persian storytelling, was published by Carcanet in 2021 and named a New Statesman Book of the Year and a White Review Book of the Year. Her poetic works have received recognition from esteemed institutions such as the Forward Arts Foundation and the World Poetry Academy. As a translator, Parwana is dedicated to bringing the voices of Afghan women writers to a wider audience, with projects like the book My Pen is the Wing of a Bird and the upcoming volume titled My Dear Kabul showcasing Afghanistan’s continued literary heritage and cultural richness