Reza Farrokhfal was born in 1328 SH / 1949. He began his literary career in the late 1960s by publishing short stories in Jong-e Isfahan, the influential literary journal associated with Houshang Golshiri and his circle.
Since then, Farrokhfal has published fiction, essays, literary criticism, and translations in Iran. His short-story collection Ah, Istanbul is regarded as one of the noteworthy works of Iranian fiction from the 1980s.
Alongside his writing, Farrokhfal has worked for many years as an editor with established publishing houses. He is also counted among the founders of the first Association of Editors in Iran, together with the late Karim Emami.
In recent years his work has increasingly engaged literary theory, cultural studies, and the continuing life of classical Persian literature. A selection of these writings appeared in Hadith-e Ghorbat-e Saadi, published by Nashr-e Markaz.
Farrokhfal studied at Pahlavi University in Shiraz and Concordia University in Montreal. His academic career has included teaching Persian at McGill University, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and the University of Colorado Boulder.