History
Dr. Mahnaz Badihian, at the time a practicing dentist, published poet, and mother, conceived of the idea for an online Persian language literary magazine in 1999 in an effort to connect the cultures of the world. The original site was created with the technical help of Dr. Ali Rezai, who was a computer expert before many of us had heard the word ‘computer’ and was a practicing medical doctor and professor of Nuclear Radiology at the University of Iowa.
The original online magazine was called World Poetry Web, شعرجهان. This was the very first Persian literary magazine online. The site was still being improved but went live immediately. Unfortunately due to the untimely death of Dr. Badihian’s mother, the site dwindled away over the course of two years. The original site can be viewed here https://www.mahmag.org/wpw/
Since the creation of the first site, MahMag has expanded and changed in response to readers and technology, while continuing to promote the original values established by Dr. Badihian:
- Open borders between peoples of all cultures and languages through the proliferation of the arts and humanities
- Freedom of individuals to express their unique voices and perspectives
- Giving voice to emerging writers, thinkers and artists
- Literature as a tool for education
The current version of MahMag was created in 2004 with expanded sections and languages which now include English, Italian and Spanish, in addition to the original Persian. MahMag is considered the largest literary magazine online on the subject of Persian literature with over 50,000 unique visitors a month. It is also the most censored literary website in Iran which means Iranians are eager to read this site and we are eager to continue adding new and exciting submissions. To view the most recent archives visit https://mahmag.org/english/