Parwana Fayyaz

Parwana Fayyaz is an Assistant Professor at Peterhouse, University of Cambridge, specializing in Persian literature and culture between 1000 and 1600 CE. She focuses on long narrative poems (masnavi), exploring cultural exchanges between East and West, and the intersection of Islam with Greco-Roman and Christian-European traditions.

• Doctorate from Trinity College, Cambridge (2020)
• Four-year research fellowship at Peterhouse, Cambridge
• Debut poetry collection: Forty Names (Carcanet, 2021)

Her research investigates Neoplatonic philosophy and mysticism in Jami’s poetry, the reception of classical Persian romance during the colonial period, and the portrayal of nursing women in Persian romantic literature. Parwana also contributes to literary translation, amplifying Afghan women’s voices through projects like My Pen is the Wing of a Bird and the upcoming My Dear Kabul.

• New Statesman Book of the Year (2021)
• White Review Book of the Year (2021)
• Recognition from Forward Arts Foundation
• Recognition from World Poetry Academy