What the names come from

Nebesht is an old Farsi word for writing, one that carries the weight of something older and closer to the root of the act itself. It is the word we chose in 2014, and it is the word we still carry.

How we started

We started as a Persian literary magazine with a simple belief: that Afghanistan and Iran produce writers of extraordinary talent whose work deserves a serious home. In the years that followed, that belief proved right. Writers of remarkable range and depth found their way to Nebesht, and we found our way to them. By 2017 we had begun publishing books in Farsi, and today our Persian archive holds over eighty titles and hundreds of short stories by some of the most significant writers working in Afghanistan and Iran. Nebesht has been recognised as one of the most influential literary magazines in modern Persian literature.

In 2026 we made a decision that felt both necessary and long overdue. We began publishing in English.

Our Persian magazine continues, as does our Persian publishing house. Both remain dedicated to Persian language literature from Afghanistan and Iran. The best stories published in our Persian magazine are selected, translated and published on Nebesht, bringing some of the finest voices in contemporary Persian literature to an international readership for the first time. The stories that come out of Afghanistan, Iran and the broader Middle East deserve to be read beyond the boundaries of language, and English is where those stories are least represented and most needed.

Nebesht in English

The English literary world is large and rich, but it has a blind spot. Writers from Afghanistan, Iran and the broader Middle East and Central Asia have produced some of the most compelling and original literature of our time. Yet outside a handful of internationally celebrated names, their work remains largely invisible to English readers. Their books are not translated. Their stories are not published. Their voices are not heard.

We built Nebesht because we believe it matters.

Nebesht is an independent literary publisher and magazine open to authors from anywhere in the world. We publish short fiction in our magazine, and we offer book design and publishing services to independent authors who want to bring their work to an international readership. Our door is open to everyone, but our heart is with writers whose first language is Persian (Iran/Afghanistan/Tajikistan) or Arabic, and whose stories have until now been confined to the borders of their own language.

For a writer in Tehran, Kabul, Baghdad or Beirut who has a story worth telling but no clear path to an English readership, we hope Nebesht can be that path.

We also welcome independent authors writing in English. Whether you are looking to publish your book through the Nebesht imprint or simply need professional support to publish independently, we offer a range of book design and publishing services tailored to your needs.

We only publish work we genuinely believe in. That has been our standard since 2014 and it has not changed. What we offer is not a lowered bar but an open door, to writers who have always deserved to walk through it.

About the Founder

Aziz Hakimi is a British journalist and the founder of Nebesht. Born in Afghanistan, he grew up in Iran before moving to London in 2003 to work for the BBC World Service. He has spent more than two decades covering Afghanistan and the wider region as a journalist. 

As a translator, he is best known for his Persian translations of Israeli author Etgar Keret, whose work he brought to Persian-speaking readers at a time when such a translation was both culturally and politically significant. His translations of Keret’s The Seven Good Years and Suddenly, a Knock on the Door were covered by the Guardian, Libération, the Times of Israel and Haaretz.

His debut novel was published in Italian. His debut English collection, Kabul Blues, seven short stories rooted in the landscapes and lives of Afghanistan and Pakistan, is published by Nebesht and available on Amazon worldwide.