Hossein completed a PhD in Creative Writing at the J.M. Coetzee Centre for Creative Practice, University of Adelaide. His thesis, which explored the life and poetry of Forugh Farrokhzad, a pivotal figure in modern Iranian poetry, received the Dean’s Commendation for Doctoral Thesis Excellence in 2021.
His debut novel, Only Sound Remains, was shortlisted for both the Miles Franklin Literary Award 2024 and the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2024. This was followed by the 2025 publication of Desolation by Ultimo Press. His short stories have been published in Splinter, Southerly, The Suburban Review, Overland, and The Saltbush Review.
As a postdoctoral researcher, Hossein currently explores trauma and the death... Read more
About me
Hossein completed a PhD in Creative Writing at the J.M. Coetzee Centre for Creative Practice, University of Adelaide. His thesis, which explored the life and poetry of Forugh Farrokhzad, a pivotal figure in modern Iranian poetry, received the Dean’s Commendation for Doctoral Thesis Excellence in 2021.
His debut novel, Only Sound Remains, was shortlisted for both the Miles Franklin Literary Award 2024 and the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2024. This was followed by the 2025 publication of Desolation by Ultimo Press. His short stories have been published in Splinter, Southerly, The Suburban Review, Overland, and The Saltbush Review.
As a postdoctoral researcher, Hossein currently explores trauma and the death wish in Forugh's works through close readings of her poems as part of his project, The Poetics of Trauma: A Psychoanalytic Approach to Forugh Farrokhzad's Work. Additionally, as part of his creative work, Hossein is working on a collection of short stories, each inspired by one of Forugh's poems. His research interests include creative and critical writing, textual intervention, trauma, and diasporic writing.
About me
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 12/09/2025 |
Desolation by Hossein Asgari review – an accomplished exploration of love, truth and the cruelty of fate, https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/sep/12/desolation-hossein-asgari-book-review-accomplished-exploration-love-truth-fate |
| 01/09/2025 |
Review of Desolation by Hossein Asgari., https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2025/09/01/237654/desolation-hossein-asgari/ |
| 31/08/2025 |
Desolation by Hossein Asgari review, https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/culture/books/2025/08/31/desolation |
| 26/08/2025 |
Hossein Asgari’s Desolation speaks powerfully of the destructiveness of war and the hope that lies in fiction, https://theconversation.com/hossein-asgaris-desolation-speaks-powerfully-of-the-destructiveness-of-war-and-the-hope-that-lies-in-fiction-260412 |
| 01/08/2024 |
No longer pale, male and stale: your guide to the 2024 Miles Franklin shortlist., https://theconversation.com/no-longer-pale-male-and-stale-your-guide-to-the-2024-miles-franklin-shortlist-234583 |
| 20/06/2024 |
Another Birth, https://sydneyreviewofbooks.com/review/another-birth/ |
| 08/11/2023 |
Book review: Only Sound Remains, Hossein Asgari, https://www.artshub.com.au/news/reviews/book-review-only-sound-remains-hossein-asgari-2677596/ |
| 01/11/2023 |
Book review: Only sound remains , https://saltbushreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Saltbush-Issue-4-Review-Sunter.pdf |
Works in Progress
1. Between Eros and Thanatos: The Poetics of Forough Farrokhzad (Journal Article)
2. The Personal Becomes Political: Confession in the Poetry of Forugh Farrokhzad (Journal Article)
3. Decadence (Novel)
4. Imaginary Narrative of a Real Murder (Novel)
Research
Research outputs for the last seven years are shown below. Some long-standing staff members may have older outputs included. To see earlier years visit ORCID or Scopus
Open access indicates that an output is open access.
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2024 |
Open access
|
| 2023 |
Asgari, H 2023, Only Sound Remains, Puncher and Wattmann. |
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2025 |
Open access
|
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2025 |
Asgari, H 2025, Desolation, Ultimo Press.
Open access
|
| 2023 |
Asgari, H 2023, Only Sound Remains, Puncher and Wattmann. |
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2024 |
Open access
|
Books
Asgari, H. (2025). Desolation. Ultimo Press.
Asgari, H. (2023). Only sound remains. Puncher & Wattmann.
Asgari, H. (2026). Afraid of the dark. Ultimo Press. (Under contract - to be published in 2026)
Short Stories
Asgari, H. (2025). ‘The Unexpected Healer’. Southerly, 80.
Asgari, H. (2024). ‘I am afraid of forgetting so many things’. Splinter, 1.
Asgari, H. (2023). ‘Anti-theft door’. The Suburban Review, 32.
Asgari, H. (2023). ‘Black spring’. Overland. April.
Asgari, H. (2023). ‘Joy’. The Saltbush Review, 4.
Asgari, H. (2022). ‘A new home’. The Saltbush Review, 2.
Asgari, H. (2021). ‘Everybody dies thirsty’. The Saltbush Review, 1.
Journal Articles
Asgari, H., & Westin, E. (2025). Rebirth or resistance? Reconsidering poetic development in Forugh Farrokhzad’s oeuvre. TEXT, 29(2).
Research
Works in Progress
1. Between Eros and Thanatos: The Poetics of Forough Farrokhzad (Journal Article)
2. The Personal Becomes Political: Confession in the Poetry of Forugh Farrokhzad (Journal Article)
3. Decadence (Novel)
4. Imaginary Narrative of a Real Murder (Novel)
External engagement & recognition
| Organisation | Country |
|---|---|
| University of Adelaide | AUSTRALIA |
| University of South Australia | AUSTRALIA |
Teaching & student supervision
Teaching & student supervision
Supervisions from 2010 shown
| Thesis title | Student status |
|---|---|
| The Magic, the Mundane, and "The Echo of (Im)Mortality" | Current |
