1001 Persian-English Proverbs [Paperback]

Manoucheur Aryanpour (Adapter), Simin K. Habibian (Compiler, Introduction)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0936347929 | ISBN-13: 978-0936347929 | Publication Date: April 1, 1999 | Edition: 2nd

Cultural Writing. Middle Eastern Studies. In an improved version of the original and highly successful 1001 PERSIAN-ENGLISH PROVERBS (printed in 1996), compiler and illustrator Simin K. Habibin now offers the Persian in literal translation alongside the English. What results is a delightful and illuminating cultural hodgepodge, running from silly to serious and everywhere in-between. Each of the 1001 proverbs is a Persian-English pair, and thus the very English proverb, "Misfortune never comes singly," is cleverly tied to the Persian, "Oh God! Three mishaps at the same time: a limping donkey. An ugly wife, and a debtor." As Habiban explains, "the many similarities existing between Persian and Western culture as shown by these proverbs bring us to an understanding that regardless of which nation we live in, we are all human and share similar experiences in our lives."

Editorial Reviews

Review

The collection is an indispensible reference material for Persian Language courses. --Middle East Studies Association Bulletin --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

This is the third edition of a very popular book. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 254 pages
• Publisher: Ibex Publishers; 2nd edition (April 1, 1999)
• Language: Persian
• ISBN-10: 0936347929
• ISBN-13: 978-0936347929
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,855,212 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #76 in Books > Education & Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses > Foreign Language > Persian & Farsi

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great learning tool, March 22, 2006

By 

S. M. Hogan (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One Thousand & One Persian-English Proverbs: Learning Language and Culture Through Commonly Used Sayings (English and Farsi Edition) (Paperback)

and fun to boot. The literal translations of the proverbs make this book very useful for building your Persian vocabulary. I've learned literally hundreds of new words making my way through this book. I also appreciate the concise but information-packed footnotes.

My only request if Ms. Habibian ever does another edition would be for a little more vowelling or transliteration, especially for the more unusual words. That would make this book an even better learning tool.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A treasure trove of wisdom, February 9, 2008

By 

Jean Michael Guhl (McLean, VA, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: One Thousand & One Persian-English Proverbs: Learning Language and Culture Through Commonly Used Sayings (English and Farsi Edition) (Paperback)

If someone is curious about Iran and the Iranians, this book is just the right way to learn as it is a pleasant and fun-packed way to discover other facets of human wisdom. Are the Iranians as different from us that some largely uncultured US media would like them to be? Certainly not! As a student in 3rd year of farsi, I have found this book excellent to memorize many words and phrases. Persian proverbs are often close if not pure poetry. As all Iranians have a strong liking for root-deep sayings, just learn a few, and you'll sure to make new friends when traveling abroad or in LA!
"You have to see Leyli from the eyes of Majnoon". A nice reading even for those who don't read farsi.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent, for teachers who know no Persian, how cultures ar, June 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: 1001 Persian-English Proverbs (Paperback)

Excellent for teachers who know no Persian (Iranian) to show 1) how different cultures are the same: some proverbs are word-for-word identical in both English and Persian; and 2) how much fun is the fascinating exotic wit, profound knowledge of human foibles, and humor of Iranians. The Persian script originals are included. As an American, I find this book useful for cultural understanding.