The Secret of Laughter: Magical Tales from Classical Persia [Hardcover]

Shusha Guppy (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1850434271 | ISBN-13: 978-1850434276 | Publication Date: May 26, 2005 | Edition: First Edition

This magical collection of stories, gathered from the rich treasury of Persian folk and fairytales, tell of love and longing, fate and human ingenuity, loss and grace. Although their sources have been lost over the ages, their memory runs through the collective psyche of the Iranian people. Handed down through generations, told by professional storytellers in bazaars and gatherings, these tales have been made popular the world over by great poets such as Rumi and Firdowsi. At the same time, beneath the charmed narrative, they reflect deep cultural and psychological insights into the attitudes, values and structures which constitute Iranian society. With style, charm and humor, Shusha Guppy narrates these timeless fables, which continue to fascinate all who read them and which also provide a unique perspective on Iranian culture.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Guppy makes a significant contribution to the continuity of Persian trafition in this collection and has exposed this tradition to a much wider international audience by publishing the stories in the English language." --Law Society Journal

 

About the Author

Shusha Guppy is a journalist, musician and author of The Blindfold Horse (also I.B.Tauris).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: I. B. Tauris; First Edition edition (May 26, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1850434271
• ISBN-13: 978-1850434276
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,275,961 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!, November 25, 2008

By 

Janine J. Hill (melbourne ,australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Secret of Laughter: Magical Tales from Classical Persia (Paperback)

I absolutely loved this version of Iranian folktales.It only seemed like i started and it was over and I was left wanting more.
I lived in Iran for a period of time and I was really missing it by the end of reading this .

5.0 out of 5 stars The secret of Laughter, November 25, 2011

By 

Kate Runyan "katethecook" (Santa Monica, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Secret of Laughter: Magical Tales from Classical Persia (Paperback)

This a charming book, filled with lovely , old Persian tales. I found out about this book when we were recently visiting Istanbul, and we went to one of the English bookstores there and they spoke highly of this book. I ordered it as soon as I got home, plus ordering an additional copy for a friend. It's a delightful book, and at the Turkbooks they suggested reading a chapter ( one of the tales ) every day or so, not reading the whole book at once that would defeat the purpose of this charming book.
This is really a lovely, and magical book, and really worth having.