Though scarcely acknowledged by the regime, Forough has also retained a special place in contemporary Iranian life: her poems are regularly cited by civil and women’s rights activists on the frontlines even today. “The same was true of Fereydoun,” Askary says. “They were both more glorified and appreciated posthumously because of the impact they left on the Iranian psyche, especially after 1979, as people came to understand the true colors of the regime. The one thing people consistently say is that they were ‘ahead of their time’.” Despite this, speculation took hold in Iran in the months after Farrokhzad’s death.
