Rostam: Tales of Love and War from the Shahnameh
Tales of Love and War from the Shahnameh
Author: Abolqasem Ferdowsi Series: Penguin Classics
The selected adventures of Persia's Hercules, from Iran's great national epic No understanding of world mythology is complete without acquaintance with Rostam, Iran's most celebrated mythological hero. According to the "Shahnameh "(the tenth-century "Book of Kings"), this titan, magnificent in strength and courage, bestrode Persia for 500 years. While he often served fickle kings-undergoing many trials of combat, cunning, and endurance-he was never their servant and owed allegiance only to his nation's greater good. Anyone interested in folklore, world literature, or Iranian culture will find "Rostam" both a rousing and illuminating read.
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Summary
The selected adventures of Persia's Hercules, from Iran's great national epic No understanding of world mythology is complete without acquaintance with Rostam, Iran's most celebrated mythological hero. According to the "Shahnameh "(the tenth-century "Book of Kings"), this titan, magnificent in strength and courage, bestrode Persia for 500 years. While he often served fickle kings-undergoing many trials of combat, cunning, and endurance-he was never their servant and owed allegiance only to his nation's greater good. Anyone interested in folklore, world literature, or Iranian culture will find "Rostam" both a rousing and illuminating read.
Description
Tales of Love and War from the Shahnameh. Translated by Dick Davis.
About the Author
Absolqasem Ferdowsi was born in Khorasan in a village near Tus, in 940 CE. His great epic the Shahnameh, to which he devoted most of his adult life, was originally composed for the Samanid princes of Khorasan, who were the chief instigators of the revival of Persian cultural traditions after the Arab conquest. During Ferdowsi's lifetime, the Samanid dynasty was conquered by the Ghaznavid Turks. Various stories in medieval texts describe the lack of interest shown by the new ruler of Khorasan, Mahmud of Ghazni, in Ferdowsi and his lifework. Ferdowsi is said to have died around 1020 in poverty and embittered by royal neglect, though confident of his and his poem's ultimate fame. Dick Davis is currently professor of Persian at Ohio State University and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. His translations from Persian include The Lion and the Throne, Fathers and Sons, Sunset of Empire: Stories from the Shahnameh of Ferdowsi, Vols. I, II, III.
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