Originally composed for the Samanid princes of Khorasan in the 10th century, Shahnameh is one of the most important pieces of Persian literature. This prodigious narrative tells the story of pre-Islamic Iran, beginning in the mythic time of Creation and continuing forward to the Arab invasion in the seventh century. The sweep and psychological depth of the Shahnameh is nothing less than magnificent. Now one of the greast translators of Persian poetry, Dick Davis, presents Ferdowsi's masterpiece in an elegant combination of prose and verse.
Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings
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Davis's wonderful translation will show Western readers why Ferdowsi's masterpiece is one of the most revered and most beloved classics in the Persian world. (Khaled Hosseini, author of "The Kite Runner")
A magnificent accomplishment . . . [Davis's translation] is not only the fullest representation of Ferdowsi's masterpiece in English but the best. ("The New York Sun")
Marvelous . . . It represents the best of Persian culture. (Azar Nafisi, from the foreword)
The "Shahnameh" has much in common with the blood-soaked epics of Homer and with "Paradise Lost" and "The Divine Comedy". . . . The poem is, in a sense, Iran's national scripture, and Ferdowsi Iran's national poet. . . . Davis brings to his translation a nuanced awareness of Ferdowsi's subtle rhythms and cadences. . . . His "Shahnameh" is rendered in an exquisite blend of poetry and prose. (Reza Aslan, "The New York Times Book Review")
Grand . . . To imagine an equivalent to this violent and beautiful work, think of an amalgam of Homer's "Iliad" and the ferocious Old Testament book of Judges. . . . Thanks to Davis's magnificent translation, Ferdowsi and the "Shahnameh" live again in English. (Michael Dirda, "The Washington Post")
A magnificent accomplishment . . . [Davis's translation] is not only the fullest representation of Ferdowsi's masterpiece in English but the best. ("The New York Sun")
Marvelous . . . It represents the best of Persian culture. (Azar Nafisi, from the foreword)
The "Shahnameh" has much in common with the blood-soaked epics of Homer and with "Paradise Lost" and "The Divine Comedy". . . . The poem is, in a sense, Iran's national scripture, and Ferdowsi Iran's national poet. . . . Davis brings to his translation a nuanced awareness of Ferdowsi's subtle rhythms and cadences. . . . His "Shahnameh" is rendered in an exquisite blend of poetry and prose. (Reza Aslan, "The New York Times Book Review")
Grand . . . To imagine an equivalent to this violent and beautiful work, think of an amalgam of Homer's "Iliad" and the ferocious Old Testament book of Judges. . . . Thanks to Davis's magnificent translation, Ferdowsi and the "Shahnameh" live again in English. (Michael Dirda, "The Washington Post")
About the Author
Abolqasem Ferdowsi (940 - 1020) is the preeminent poet in the Persian language and one the greatest poets of his time in any language.
Dick Davis is the premier translator of Persian poetry at work today.
Azar Nafisi is the author of the bestselling Reading Lolita in Teheran.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Dick Davis has produced a very readable translation. However he chose to omit some material. In his Introduction he informs us that the most substantial omission is an episode during Kay Khosrow's war against Turan, known as the Davazdah Rokh, or episode of the twelve champions. He admits that this is regarded by the Iranian author Golshiri as the heart of the poem. However, in the opinion of the translator this episode is too repetitive and ethnocentric for the general reader to be allowed to see, so he has simply cut it out. Personally I should like to decide for myself whether to plough through repetitions and to make up my own mind about the alleged ethnocentricity, and as to whether this episode is indeed central to the whole Shahnameh. Certainly I should like to have been alerted to the translator's editorializing before making my decision to purchase his work.
33 of 39 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Noting that there is no comment here on this classic Persian text, I shall enter at least some background on it, if not specific to this edition.
"The Shahnameh", or as it is better known in the western literary world "The Shahnama", is arguably THE classic, medieval Persian literary text and is fundamental to Persian identity. Attributed to the most famous and beloved poet in the whole Persian canon, Ferdowsi, it takes in Iran's ancient and medieval history, culture, beliefs (especially pre-Islamic Zoroastrianism) and is also an excellent source for the Pahlavi Persian language (basically, pre-10th century Middle Persian, and not strictly speaking the modern day Farsi language), depending on the edition of course. As an epic poem, it is unparalleled in Persian tradition and was very much the benchmark which future poets aspired to, technically, structurally, linguistically and so on.
Quite literally meaning "The Book of Kings", the Shahnameh was most likely written as guidance for rulers in the medieval world in which Persia was a major geo-political, imperial power. Blending the mythical and the historical, and compiling the oral and written traditions of Persia, it provided the royal reader with many examples of flawed and immoral shahs (kings), whose mistakes it is presumed were to be learnt from.
A related text is "The Arthashastra", which pre-dates the Shahnameh and is the Indian version from the same literary traditon. (One might also compare it to "The Prince" by Machiavelli as a tool for political guidance, but it is about far more than that!) Given Persia's close proximity to Indian culture and the presence of Indo-Iranian identity, this is hardly surprising. Aryan links abound between the two cultures and texts. And given Persia's prominence and hegemonic status during the whole of the Middle Ages, the work provides an invaluable window into other cultures of the time, notably Indian, Chinese, Turkish, Arabic, and many others by way of association and peripheral reference.
"The Shahnameh", or as it is better known in the western literary world "The Shahnama", is arguably THE classic, medieval Persian literary text and is fundamental to Persian identity. Attributed to the most famous and beloved poet in the whole Persian canon, Ferdowsi, it takes in Iran's ancient and medieval history, culture, beliefs (especially pre-Islamic Zoroastrianism) and is also an excellent source for the Pahlavi Persian language (basically, pre-10th century Middle Persian, and not strictly speaking the modern day Farsi language), depending on the edition of course. As an epic poem, it is unparalleled in Persian tradition and was very much the benchmark which future poets aspired to, technically, structurally, linguistically and so on.
Quite literally meaning "The Book of Kings", the Shahnameh was most likely written as guidance for rulers in the medieval world in which Persia was a major geo-political, imperial power. Blending the mythical and the historical, and compiling the oral and written traditions of Persia, it provided the royal reader with many examples of flawed and immoral shahs (kings), whose mistakes it is presumed were to be learnt from.
A related text is "The Arthashastra", which pre-dates the Shahnameh and is the Indian version from the same literary traditon. (One might also compare it to "The Prince" by Machiavelli as a tool for political guidance, but it is about far more than that!) Given Persia's close proximity to Indian culture and the presence of Indo-Iranian identity, this is hardly surprising. Aryan links abound between the two cultures and texts. And given Persia's prominence and hegemonic status during the whole of the Middle Ages, the work provides an invaluable window into other cultures of the time, notably Indian, Chinese, Turkish, Arabic, and many others by way of association and peripheral reference.
5 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By pocillovits
Format:Paperback
This is a very readable book . It is clear and is written in a fluent English. The poems were translated in a matching style which had enhanced the story even when you have not read the original Persian text. The engraving are appropriately selected to enhance the book.
My only concern is that the author did not provide a map to help the reader to know were on earth those battles were. This is specially crucial for non-Persian and young Iranians who have no knowledge of the geography of the time
This book is invaluable and is a must for all Iranians abroad since they have never had a chance to read Shahnameh in Farsi. They might have read a poem from her and there. But never read the whole story to know what is it about.In the mind of most Iranians the intention of the book was to revive the Iranian language and preserve it.It has certainly done that.
But, the stories of the Kings, in the mind of Iranian both at home and abroad who had never read the original text from the beginning to the end, has created a false sense of glory of the past. The deposed "Shah" was the main advocate of this false legend. When you read this book, in prose not in poems, the truth about medieval Persia penetrates through. It shows the cruel system and the powerful network of the Zoroasterian Mullahs who were controlling every aspect of the country life. Even when the king should die or make a tiny domestic decisions etc. Then One would start wonder if the present Islamic Republic of Iran is any different. The king is missing . But the king in old Iran was only a figure head subjected to extreme manipulation by the mullahs(Does this remind you of Ahmadynedjad ).
The reason Iran was captured so quickly and people accepted Islam was the rigid social strata and the the extreme interference of the Zoroasterian Mullahs(which is the same in the present situation in Iran)in their daily life which had suffocated their minds.
My only concern is that the author did not provide a map to help the reader to know were on earth those battles were. This is specially crucial for non-Persian and young Iranians who have no knowledge of the geography of the time
This book is invaluable and is a must for all Iranians abroad since they have never had a chance to read Shahnameh in Farsi. They might have read a poem from her and there. But never read the whole story to know what is it about.In the mind of most Iranians the intention of the book was to revive the Iranian language and preserve it.It has certainly done that.
But, the stories of the Kings, in the mind of Iranian both at home and abroad who had never read the original text from the beginning to the end, has created a false sense of glory of the past. The deposed "Shah" was the main advocate of this false legend. When you read this book, in prose not in poems, the truth about medieval Persia penetrates through. It shows the cruel system and the powerful network of the Zoroasterian Mullahs who were controlling every aspect of the country life. Even when the king should die or make a tiny domestic decisions etc. Then One would start wonder if the present Islamic Republic of Iran is any different. The king is missing . But the king in old Iran was only a figure head subjected to extreme manipulation by the mullahs(Does this remind you of Ahmadynedjad ).
The reason Iran was captured so quickly and people accepted Islam was the rigid social strata and the the extreme interference of the Zoroasterian Mullahs(which is the same in the present situation in Iran)in their daily life which had suffocated their minds.
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A rough-cut book
This book features a rough-cut presentation to the pages. This is a style that is becoming increasingly popular with publishers. Read more
Published on 29 Jun 2009 by C. X. Linton-Willoughby
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Rough-cut
This book has 'rough-cut' pages:
This is a style that is becoming increasingly popular with publishers. Read more
This is a style that is becoming increasingly popular with publishers. Read more
Published on 29 Jun 2009 by C. LINTON-WILLOUGHBY
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Excellent review in Amazon.com
There is an excellent review of this in Amazon.com, not sure why we don't get access to it
Published on 2 April 2007 by Angus Jenkinson
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