A cultural worker of the highest order, Niloufar does the bravest work, transforming not only the society from which she comes, but help change the society in which she lives.
— Jack Hirschman, Emeritus Poet Laureate of San Francisco
Leading a girls chorus into an opera. Photo credit: Devlin Shand 2019

Leading a girls chorus into an opera, photo credit: Devlin Shand 2019

Niloufar Talebi has accomplished the ultimate magic trick in her clean and modern translation. She has made the work of modern Persian poets read like original English...an unparalleled contribution.
— Willis Barnstone
...A celebration of the recreative power of memory and language, from the girl standing in front of her blue bedroom window watching snow, to the many lessons of silence — Talebi’s ‘animal with two faces.’ Self-Portrait in Bloom is a book of longing, haunted by history.
— Ilya Kaminsky
photo credit: Jules Cisek 2018

photo credit: Jules Cisek 2018

book signing at the Bay Area Book Festival 2019

book signing at the Bay Area Book Festival 2019

Brilliant writers can have brilliant debuts. Elegiac and deep diving into the mind of a genius existentialist, Niloufar Talebi’s memoir, Self-Portrait in Bloom, is reminiscent of Sebald. This original work feels true to continuous life and disjointed memory — separate yet forced to be connected. This is a compelling book by a true writer.
— Amy Tan, author of Where the Past Begins: A Writer's Memoir
Where Shamlou and Talebi overlap is not just the personal, artistic drive for self-expression, but the unshakeable resolve of standing by one’s convictions regardless of the risk and repercussions.
— Mizan Project, Songs of Resolve and Resilience
Poetry is a world art because of brilliant translators like Niloufar.
— Martin Espada
...brilliant, transparent translations of Shamlou’s works...soar with poetic subtlety.
— Asterix Journal
A passionate defense of the crucial role translation plays in connecting the world, Self-Portrait in Bloom also tells the story of Niloufar Talebi’s courage in overcoming profound obstacles to bring her expert translations of world-class Iranian poet, Ahmad Shamlou, to new readers. A brave and remarkable feat.
— Edith Grossman, author of Why Translation Matters
Niloufar Talebi has written an original and intriguing memoir. Dispensing with linearity, shuttling between her Iranian childhood and her American coming of age, she moves nimbly up and back along the space-time axis. A loving and contemplative spirit compels these pages forward.
— Sven Birkerts, author of Changing the Subject: Art and Attention in the Internet Age
Abraham in Flames opera, photo credit: Devlin Shand Photography 2019

Abraham in Flames opera, photo credit: Devlin Shand Photography 2019

...an amazing achievement for everybody involved, and truly a worthy addition to the opera world.
— Parterre Box
[Abraham in Flames]...elusive but arresting new chamber opera by librettist and creator Niloufar Talebi and composer Aleksandra Vrebalov...
— Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle
...mysteriously irresistible.
— San Francisco Chronicle Best of 2019 in Classical Music Performance
Unique in concept and beautiful to witness, both musically and visually. It’s quite amazing what Niloufar has managed to accomplish.
— Paul Dresher
Thank you for your defense of art in a troubled world, Niloufar.
— David Harrington, Kronos Quartet
Niloufar Talebi’s accomplishment in gathering the poetry of the Iranian diaspora is unprecedented and breathtaking. It is as if she has, by force of commitment and vision, and by way of cultural hunger, bequeathed a new literary heritage to Iran and the world. Here is a lyric symphony of utterance in the voices of exiles, immigrants, refugees, and expatriates. That Talebi assembled such an extraordinary collection is impressive enough—that she translated most of these poems herself is nothing short of remarkable.
— Carolyn Forché, editor of Against Forgetting: Twentieth Century Poetry of Witness
Belonging: New Poetry by Iranians Around the World at Poetry Festival 2009

Belonging: New Poetry by Iranians Around the World at Poetry Festival 2009

Ms. Talebi endowed these philosophical concepts with human characteristics...[in] elegant texts woven into four scenes featuring solo live voice.
— The New York Times
Talebi offers us a new form of expression, a true reflection of a hybrid point of view, [making] an entire culture intelligible.
— The Huffington Post
Librettist Niloufar Talebi, the theatrical visionary behind The Persian Rite of Spring, saw the focus of their [9/11] piece Fire Angels as a romance, rather than a John Adams-esque CNN song cycle...rather than retell the events themselves, [they] delve into their emotional cores...
— Operavore
Niloufar performing The Persian Rite of Spring, credit: Afshin Javadi video 2010

Niloufar performing The Persian Rite of Spring, credit: Afshin Javadi video 2010

The oldest art form, storytelling, is on dazzling display in Niloufar Talebi’s electrifying and multidisciplinary wisdom. Niloufar masterfully captures the essence of ancient rituals and myths while infusing them with a thoroughly modern sensibility. The result, The Persian Rite of Spring, is a theatrical performance for all ages that will awaken even the most slumbering soul into a new beginning!
— Maryna Hrushetska, Art Consultant

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