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. His short stories have been published in Splinter, The Suburban Review, Overland, and The Saltbush Review. His second novel, Desolation, is set to be published in September 2025 by Ultimo Press.
As a postdoctoral researcher, Hossein currently explores trauma and the death wish in... 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. His short stories have been published in Splinter, The Suburban Review, Overland, and The Saltbush Review. His second novel, Desolation, is set to be published in September 2025 by Ultimo Press.
As a postdoctoral researcher, Hossein currently explores trauma and the death wish in Forugh's works through close readings of her confessional 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.
Works in Progress
1. Forugh Farrokhzad: Of “Sin” and Her Demons (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
Books
Asgari, H. (2023). Only sound remains. Puncher & Wattmann.
Asgari, H. (2025). Desolation. Ultimo Press. (Under contract - to be published in 2025)
Asgari, H. (2026). Afraid of the dark. Ultimo Press. (Under contract - to be published in 2026)
Short Stories
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.
Research
Works in Progress
1. Forugh Farrokhzad: Of “Sin” and Her Demons (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)
Teaching & student supervision