An Analytical Study of the Effects of New Wave Poetry on the Illustrations of Children’s Books in Iran with an Emphasis on the Works of Ahmad Reza Ahmadi

In the second half of the twentieth century, specifically in 1962 with the publication of Ahmad Reza Ahmadi’s poetry collection Sketch (in Persian, Tarh), a new style of contemporary poetry was introduced in Iran which became known as the New Wave (in Persian, Moj-e no). This movement has been recognized as being a refutation of the patriarchal domination of symbolism, romanticism and structuralism in Nimaei poetry, and having a tendency towards a kind of surrealist and deconstructive view of the phenomena of existence and humanity. Turning poetry into a simple and fluent prose, making extensive use of imagination, visualizing the poetic realities, and achieving pure and rare images are among the most important features of New Wave poetry. None of the images in New Wave poems seek to prove something but involve a new and unique event themselves. This movement gradually targeted children and the pioneer was Ahmad Reza Ahmadi. Also, after New Wave and in the early 21st century, the illustration of children’s books took a new direction and a serious distance became apparent between the illustrators of this period and the illustrators of the previous decades. Therefore, in parallel with the flow of New Wave in Persian poetry, modernity and the use of various techniques can be seen in the illustrations of children’s books.