WANA (Oct 29) – Iran emphasized the link between literature and cultural diplomacy at the BRICS Literary Award 2025 event in Jakarta, presenting an innovative proposal to dedicate the award each year to the national poets of member countries.
The proposal was introduced by Hamid Nazar-Khah Aliserai, Iranian poet, writer, and national coordinator of the BRICS Literary Network in Iran, during the announcement of the award’s final shortlist. He said the BRICS Literary Award is the first international prize focused on cultural, human, and indigenous values, independent of politics.
He suggested naming each year’s award after a national poet of a member country — such as Hafez, Saadi, or Rumi for Iran — and highlighted the importance of translating selected works into the official languages of BRICS members to enhance cultural dialogue.
At the same event, Mansour Alimoradi, an Iranian novelist, was named among the 10 finalists from BRICS nations, alongside writers from Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, the UAE, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Egypt.
Mansour Alimoradi, an Iranian novelist. Social media/ WANA News Agency
Vadim Triukhin, co-chair of the BRICS Literary Network, said the award fosters mutual understanding and cultural empathy among contemporary authors.
Iran’s participation and proposal demonstrate its growing literary influence and efforts to strengthen cultural diplomacy through literature.
The BRICS Literary Award, founded in Moscow in November 2024, celebrates authors whose works reflect the cultural and spiritual values of member nations. The final winner will be announced on November 27, 2025, in Khabarovsk, Russia.
Iran, an active participant since the award’s inception, has previously nominated renowned writers Reza Amirkhani, Majid Ghaisari, and Mansour Alimoradi, underscoring the international reach of contemporary Iranian literature.