is 30 years old and comes from Tehran. He grew up in a literary family, his sister and father both love modern Persian literature, and his father writes poetry himself. In Iran he took entrance qualifications in graphic design, architecture and architectural draughtsmanship; in Berlin he trained as a commercial driver and worked for Deutsche Bahn and Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe. His long-term aim, however, is to become a pilot – his mother’s ambition for him. Ali is a big music fan, including rap and hip hop. His favourite, though, is Iranian music. He likes going to classical music concerts in Berlin; one of his friends regularly takes him to the Philharmonie. Ali doesn’t often write himself, but when does, then with feeling, and about anything and everything that enters his thoughts.