Sunset of Empire: Stories from the Shahnameh of Ferdowsi, Vol. 3 [Hardcover]

Abolqasem Ferdowsi (Author), Dick Davis (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2003

With our third and final volume of stories from the "Shahnameh" we move from mythology and legend to romanticized history. Here the mighty events that shook ancient Persia from the time of Alexander of Macedon's conquest to the Arab invasion of the 7th century CE are reflected in the stirring and poignant narratives of Ferdowsi, the master poet who took on himself the task of preserving his country's great pre-Islamic heritage. We see vast empires rise and fall, the rule of noble kings and cruel tyrants, the fortunes of a people buffeted by contending tides of history. Larger than life individuals are vividly depicted - the impulsive, pleasure-loving king Bahram Gur, the wise vizier Bozarjmehr, the brave rebel Bahram Chubineh, his loyal defiant sister Gordyeh, and many others - but we also see many vignettes of everyday life in the villages and towns of ancient Persia, and in this part of the "Shahnameh" Ferdowsi indulges his talent for sly humor much more than in the earlier tales. The poem rises to its magnificent climax in its last pages, when the tragic end of an era is recorded and Ferdowsi and his characters look with foreboding towards an unstable and fearful future. Breathtaking miniatures from the finest Persian "Shahnameh" manuscripts of the 16th and 17th centuries, many of them published here for the first time, heighten the emotional impact of the text.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Davis's translation is smooth, elegant, and up-to-date...opulence...splendor in miniature paintings. Essential. -- Choice Magazine, June 04

About the Author

FERDOWSI was born in Khorasan in a village near Tus, in 940. His great epic the Shahnameh, to which he devoted most of his adult life, was originally composed for the Samanid princes of Khorasan, who were the chief instigators of the revival of Persian cultural traditions after the Arab conquest of the seventh century. During Ferdowsi's lifetime this dynasty was conquered by the Ghaznavid Turks, and there are various stories in medieval texts describing the lack of interest shown by the new ruler of Khorasan, Mahmud of Ghazni, in Ferdowsi and his lifework. Ferdowsi is said to have died around 1020 in poverty and embittered by royal neglect, though confident of his and his poem's ultimate fame.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 552 pages
• Publisher: Mage Publishers (December 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 093421168X
• ISBN-13: 978-0934211680
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 7.6 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,734,874 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #17 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Middle Eastern > Persian

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent Conclusion to the Shahnameh Trilogy, March 25, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Sunset of Empire: Stories from the Shahnameh of Ferdowsi, Vol. 3 (Hardcover)

This book is incredible: the stories are wonderful, the poetry is truely superb and beautifully represents the original, and the illustrations are out of this world. For the first time in the past 30 years I saw Persian miniatures I had never seen before. This is a wonderful translation of the last third of the Shahnameh--the least known stories and some of the most touching, specially the beautiful verses of Barbad for Khosrow Parviz and Rostam-e Hormozd's final letter to his brother before the Arab invasion. Buy this trilogy, it's well worth the price and will soon be worth twice as much.