Khosrow and Shirin

Nezami Ganjavi, Dick Davis, Dick Davis , Dick Davis

$49.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
Pre-Order now

QTY:

Persian

Penguin Classics
07 August 2025

Poetry; Poetry by individual poets; Fiction in translation

A tragic epic love story before Romeo and Juliet, by one of the greatest medieval Persian romance poets, in a modern-verse English translation by Dick Davis

A Penguin Classic

A tragic epic love story before Romeo and Juliet, by one of the greatest medieval Persian romance poets, in a modern-verse English translation by Dick Davis

A Penguin Classic

Based on historical characters of the seventh-century Iranian court and written 850 years ago, the narrative poem about Khosrow and Shirin shares a shelf with the most intensely romantic classic stories readers love, from Tristan and Isolde to Layla and Majnun to Romeo and Juliet to Gatsby and Daisy.

The love between an Iranian prince (Khosrow) and an Armenian princess (Shirin) is at the center of this tumultuous tale in which the powers of politics and warfare intertwine with no less powerful forces of erotic desire and the quest for personal and spiritual fulfilment. Theirs is a complex love story based on conflicting concepts of love, one regarding the beloved as a prize to be conquered and possessed, the other unrequited and all-consuming, relishing the very notion of the annihilation of the self through love.

Davis has captured the energy and poetry of Nezami's original in modern verse. Davis's introduction and textual commentary further strengthens his translation by providing insightful context for the general reader and scholar alike. Khosrow and Shirin will enchant both the classicist and the general reader, to captivate a new audience for Nezami's masterpiece.

""Before Romeo and Juliet, there was Khosrow and Shirin. The medieval Persian epic 'Khosrow and Shirin' is a rich and gloriously excessive love story""-Michael Dirda, The Washington Post.

By: Nezami Ganjavi
Notes by: Dick Davis
Introduction by: Dick Davis
Translated by: Dick Davis
Imprint: Penguin Classics
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 197mm, Width: 130mm, Spine: 19mm
Weight: 297g
ISBN: 9780143138631
ISBN 10: 0143138634
Pages: 448
Publication Date: 07 August 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Dick Davis is a translator, a poet, and a scholar of Persian literature who has published more than 20 books. He retired in 2012 as a professor of Persian at Ohio State University and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. His translations from Persian include Shahnameh, The Mirror of My Heart, Hafez's Faces of Love, Rostam, Vis and Ramin, and Layli and Majnun.

Reviews for Khosrow and Shirin

Before Romeo and Juliet, there was Khosrow and Shirin. The medieval Persian epic ‘Khosrow and Shirin’ is a rich and gloriously excessive love story -- Michael Dirda * The Washington Post *