Comparative Analysis of the Transformation and Re-Creation of Classical Masks in Contemporary Poetry (A Case Study of the Poems of Ajwad Mujbil Khafaji and Mehdi Akhavan-Sales)

The mask is a fundamental device in contemporary poetry and one of the most significant artistic strategies for expressing social and ideological concepts. Through this technique, the poet, by concealing themselves behind another’s façade, not only reflects the general concerns of the contemporary era but also portrays socio-political realities with a profound, critical, and conscious perspective. In this regard, the authors of this study employ an analytical-comparative approach to examine classical masks in the verses of Ajud Mujbal Al-Khafaji (contemporary Iraqi poet) and Mehdi Akhavan-Sales (contemporary Persian poet)—poets who have tasted the bitter flavor of oppression, suffocation, and tyranny in their homelands.These figures, who exist as symbols of values in mythological, literary, religious, philosophical, narrative, and allegorical domains with their original and familiar appearances, are transformed in contemporary poetry through transmutation (change in the traditional structure of the mask; change in their positioning) and reimagining (the poet’s application of the mask according to their own viewpoint; depiction of contemporary concerns) into symbolic tools for delineating socio-political issues.The ultimate finding of this study demonstrates that Khafaji and Akhavan-Sales transcend the boundaries of familiar narratives and established roles by altering the traditional structure of the mask and reimagining their narrative frameworks (absent/addressee/speaker). Within the context of contemporary poetry, these figures transform into conscious, dissenting, and contemplative masks, thereby reflecting the crises, thoughts, and aspirations of modern humanity and giving meaning to the continuity of tradition with the dynamism of the present moment.