Reza Shafahi – The Diary of a Gambler: Late Bloom, Luminous Lines & the Poetics of Chance

Beginning his artistic career in his seventies, Iranian artist Reza Shafahi (b. 1940) transformed a life marked by estrangement and gambling into an exuberant visual diary. Invited by his son, artist Mamali Shafahi, to join a daily drawing practice, Reza uncovered a creative voice that blends sensuality, symbolism, and a poetic sensibility.

This first comprehensive volume assembles a rich selection of works curated by Mamali and Tony Cox (Club Rhubarb, NYC), alongside the original interview by Jina Khayyer from Apartamento magazine, here retold in full. Interwoven with classical Persian poetry—Rumi, Khayyam, Saadi—and the modern lyricism of Forough Farrokhzad, presented in both Farsi and English, the book frames Reza’s art within a continuum of emotional and cultural resonance.

Additional essays by Mamali Shafahi, Tony Cox, Michael Bullock, and Martha Kirszenbaum illuminate the radiant tenderness and subtle glow that define Reza’s late-blooming oeuvre—an intimate testament to the transformative power of creativity.