Jamali became interested in poetry and literature in high school. His father sent him to Germany to continue his education after graduating from high school. He studied German literature in Germany for five years, and then returned to Iran and continued his studies in German literature at the National University of Iran.

After receiving his master's degree, he taught German language and literature for 32 years in schools as well as in the cultural section of the Austrian Embassy.

Jamali’s books faced censorship in Iran. They did not receive a permit, or their permit was revoked. Among them was the book "Ministry of Supervision", which was published in Sweden after it was banned in Iran for several years.

Jamali was one of the signatories of the famous “Statement by 134 Writers” in protest of censorship and repression in Iran in 1994. The statement, also known as "We are Writers", is an open letter from 134 Iranian writers, poets, playwrights, screenwriters, researchers and translators who called for "freedom of thought, speech and publication" and protested against censorship in 1994.

The statement read: “While obstacles which face us in our thinking and writing far exceed our individual means and power, we have no alternative but to confront them through collective professional channels, i,e, to unite in order to achieve freedom of thought and expression and to fight against censorship. Hence we believe that: Our unity with the aim of creating a professional writers’ association in Iran is the precondition for our independence as individuals. All writers must enjoy the freedom of conscience to create their own work, criticise and analyse the work of other authors, and to express their experience and beliefs.”

Following the release of the statement, many signatories were arrested, tortured, threatened and banned from writing.

Jamali spent the last years of his life in Germany. He published research works "Ferdowsi and Homer" and "The magic of poetry lies in words", poem collections "Red Oasis in the Yellow Desert" and "The Nima Bird", as well as translations from Günter Grass, Heinrich Bell and Bertolt Brecht. He also translated 50 quatrains of the Iranian poet Khayyam into German.

Jamali died of a lung disease on April 11, 2020 in Germany.