Fuzûlî

Born in 1483 in what's now Iraq, Muhammad bin Suleyman studied literature, mathematics, astronomy, and languages as a child, then took the pen name Fuzuli and began writing for a succession of rulers as empires fought over his homeland. His first known poem went to Shah Alvand Mirza of the Aq Qoyunlu; later he composed for Safavid and Ottoman officials, never securing the royal court position he wanted and never leaving Iraq, though he longed to see Tabriz, Anatolia, India. He wrote dīvāns in all three of his languages, weaving mystic metaphor and what one critic called "intense expression of…