Synopses & Reviews
Among the great works of world literature, perhaps one of the least familiar to English readers is the
Shahnameh: ThePersian Book of Kings, the national epic of Persia. This prodigious narrative, composed by the poet Ferdowsi between the years 980 and 1010, 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.
As a window on the world, Shahnameh belongs in the company of such literary masterpieces as Dante's Divine Comedy, the plays of Shakespeare, the epics of Homer- classics whose reach and range bring whole cultures into view. In its pages are unforgettable moments of national triumph and failure, human courage and cruelty, blissful love and bitter grief.
In tracing the roots of Iran, Shahnameh initially draws on the depths of legend and then carries its story into historical times, when ancient Persia was swept into an expanding Islamic empire. Now Dick Davis, the greatest modern translator of Persian poetry, has revisited that poem, turning the finest stories of Ferdowsi's original into an elegant combination of prose and verse. For the first time in English, in the most complete form possible, readers can experience Shahnameh in the same way that Iranian storytellers have lovingly conveyed it in Persian for the past thousand years.
Review
Daviss wonderful translation will show Western readers why Ferdowsis 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 . . . [Daviss translation] is not only the fullest representation of Ferdowsis 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, Irans national scripture, and Ferdowsi Irans national poet. . . . Davis brings to his translation a nuanced awareness of Ferdowsis 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 Homers Iliad and the ferocious Old Testament book of Judges. . . . Thanks to Daviss magnificent translation, Ferdowsi and the Shahnameh live again in English. (Michael Dirda, The Washington Post)
Review
“Dick Davis [is] our pre-eminent translator from the Persian…Thanks to Davis's magnificent translation, Ferdowsi and the
Shahnameh live again in English.” -Michael Dirda, Washington Post
“Accessible…A poet himself, 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, with none of the antiquated flourishes that so often mar translations of epic poetry.” -Reza Aslan (author of Zealot), New York Times Books Review
“Daviss wonderful translation will show Western readers why Ferdowsis 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 . . . [Daviss translation] is not only the fullest representation of Ferdowsis masterpiece in English but the best.” -The New York Sun
“Reader-friendly…essential reading” - Kirkus Review
“Marvelous . . . It represents the best of Persian culture.” -Azar Nafisi, from the foreword
Synopsis
The great national epic of Persiathe most complete English-language edition and definitive translation by Dick Davis, available in a deluxe edition by Penguin Classics.
Wherever Persian influence has spread, the stories of the Shahnameh become deeply embedded in the culture, as amply attested by their appearance in such works as The Kite Runner and the love poems of Rumi and Hafez. Among the greatest works of world literature, this prodigious narrative, composed by the poet Ferdowsi in the late tenth century, 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 as it recounts classic tales like the tragedy of Rostam and Sohrab.
Now Dick Davis, our pre-eminent translator from the Persian” (Washington Post), presents a comprehensive translation of Ferdowsis masterpiece in an elegant combination of prose and verse, allowing the poetry of the Shanameh to sing its own tales directly, interspersed sparingly with clearly-marked explanations to ease along modern readers.
About the Author
Abolqasem Ferdowsi was born in Khorasan in a village near Tus in 940. His great epic, Shahnameh, was originally composed for the Samanid princes of Khorasan. Ferdowsi died around 1020 in poverty.
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.