Customer Reviews

Shahnameh/Book of Kings (Persian Text Series, New Series, No 1) (Language: Farsi

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This is the first volume of a nine volume critical edition of the Shahnameh. This is - where published, and the eighth volume has only just been published in late 2007 - the standard text now, replacing the Moscow edition. There are also some addition volumes of notes.

To correct the previous review, there have been a number of translations of the Shahnameh into English. Dick Davis's prose translation (Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings, Penguin, 928 pages) is slightly condensed but widely available. Reuben Levy's prose translation (The Epic of the Kings: Shah-Nama, the National Epic of Persia, Mazda, 423 pages) is more condensed: it's quite poor on the later historical period. The only full translation - full and in verse too - was by Arthur and Edmond Warner (The Sháhnáma of Firdausí, reprinted by Routledge in nine volumes, each volume at $180 or thereabouts).

This first volume (of a projected eight or nine) of the Khaleghi-Motlagh edition of the SHAHNAMEH includes Ferdowsi's (largely philosophical) introduction and the reigns of Shahs Kaiumars, Husheng, Tahmuras, Jamshid, Zohak, Feridun, Minuchihr, Nowzar, and Kai Kobad. There is an introduction to the series in general (in English) by Ehsan Yarshater of Columbia University, but the bulk of the book is entirely in Farsi. Almost every page is heavily annotated, with variant readings of nearly every line of the poem, based on numerous manuscript sources -- a sort of variorum edition, as it were.

Such a splendid edition of this magnificent poem makes it well worth the effort of learning Farsi, just to read and savor it in the original -- which is what I'm trying to do right now! The price isn't exactly low, but those who love the SHAHNAMEH and can read Farsi will not be disappointed!

This is the book that restored Persian culture after 200 years of Arab occupation after invasion of the Moslims that converted the religion of the Persian Empire from Zoroastrianism to Islam. Based on this book the persians restored their heritage, language, mythology and their culture. This is the book for people who love poetry and want to study the mythology of the Persian culture. There are no translation of this book into English yet.