Persian Historiography (New Edinburgh Islamic Surveys) [Hardcover]

Julie Scott Meisami (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 15, 1999 | Series: New Edinburgh Islamic Surveys

This study answers questions and addresses issues relating to the motivation for writing these works; its purpose; the role of the author; patrons and audiences; the choice of language; the place of historical writing in the debate over the suitability of Persian for scholarly writing.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is a highly praiseworthy undertaking that presents the first monograph ever exclusively dedicated to a comparative study of a wide range of Persian historical writing. Meisami is out to set the record straight, and the result is the most original and scholarly contribution to our knowledge of the formative years of this rich and vibrant field of Persian literature. [Meisami is] particularly well equipped to approach Persian historical sources from a fresh angle; one that is less concerned with the reliable information' they might contain, more with why and how they were written! she has opened up many lines of inquiry, and her book comes at the right moment to influence a slowly growing body of scholarship that is seeking to understand what Persian historians regarded as meaningful and why they saw some 'events' as memorable rather than others. Until now there has never been a substantial, detailed attempt to give a comprehensive appraisal of this literature as a whole. .. In this ground-breaking work, Julie Meisami attempts to set the record straight and put 'Persian historical writing back on the map of Islamic historiography. Meisami has performed an invaluable service in drawing attention to this topic and in compiling and organising so much material related to it. This is a highly praiseworthy undertaking that presents the first monograph ever exclusively dedicated to a comparative study of a wide range of Persian historical writing. Meisami is out to set the record straight, and the result is the most original and scholarly contribution to our knowledge of the formative years of this rich and vibrant field of Persian literature. [Meisami is] particularly well equipped to approach Persian historical sources from a fresh angle; one that is less concerned with the reliable information' they might contain, more with why and how they were written! she has opened up many lines of inquiry, and her book comes at the right moment to influence a slowly growing body of scholarship that is seeking to understand what Persian historians regarded as meaningful and why they saw some 'events' as memorable rather than others. Until now there has never been a substantial, detailed attempt to give a comprehensive appraisal of this literature as a whole. .. In this ground-breaking work, Julie Meisami attempts to set the record straight and put 'Persian historical writing back on the map of Islamic historiography. Meisami has performed an invaluable service in drawing attention to this topic and in compiling and organising so much material related to it.

About the Author

Julie Scott Meisami is a lecturer in Persian at the Oriental Institute, Oxford.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Edinburgh University Press (July 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0748607439
• ISBN-13: 978-0748607433
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,317,597 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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