Faraj Sarkohi
An Iranian intellectual who wielded a pen as a tool for cultural dissent, enduring imprisonment for his commitment to a free press.
Born 1947 (age 79)·Iranian literary critic and journalist·Birthday: November 3·Baby Boomers
Biography
Faraj Sarkohi’s career maps the treacherous terrain of intellectual life in modern Iran. As a literary critic and journalist, he co-founded Adineh magazine in the 1980s, which quickly became a vital, bold platform for contemporary Iranian thought, literature, and criticism. Under his editorship, Adineh navigated the shifting red lines of censorship, offering a space for dialogue that was both sophisticated and subtly oppositional. This came at a profound personal cost. Sarkohi was imprisoned, and in a notorious 1996 incident, he was forcibly disappeared and tortured by state agents before international outcry secured his release. He eventually fled to Germany, where he continues to write and advocate. His story is not just one of persecution, but of the relentless belief that critiquing literature is inherently tied to critiquing society, a dangerous but essential vocation.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Faraj was born in 1947, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Faraj Was Born
The biggest hits of 1947
#1 Movie
The Egg and I
Best Picture
Gentleman's Agreement
Faraj's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1947Born
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1952Started school
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1960Became a teenager
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1963Could drive
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1965Could vote
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1968Turned 21
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1977Turned 30
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1987Turned 40
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 50
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 60
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 70
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 79 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-founded and served as editor-in-chief of Adineh, a leading and influential Iranian cultural monthly magazine.
- His 1996 kidnapping and torture by Iranian intelligence agents became an international cause célèbre for press freedom.
- Authored numerous works of literary criticism and essays on Iranian society from exile in Germany.
Did You Know?
He was awarded the prestigious Hermann Kesten Prize for his dedication to persecuted writers.
While imprisoned, he was awarded the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award in 1997.
His brother, journalist Reza Sarkohi, was also a political prisoner in Iran.
“A pen is not a weapon, but its truth can wound a tyrant.”
