The ancient legends of the Persian Book of Kings (Shahnameh) 1 were versified by Abolqasem Ferdowsi (940-1020 CE), who was born to a family of small landowners near the city of Tus, in northeastern Iran. Melissa Hibbard is a writer/producer and co-founder of Kingorama's Shahnameh Project, also based in New York. Hamid Rahmanian is a John Guggenheim Fellow and multidisciplinary artist based in New York. An Iranian sociologist and translator, Ahmad Sadri is a professor of Islamic world studies, sociology, and anthropology at Lake Forest College, and lives in Illinois.
A masterpiece of world literature that has influenced some of the greatest works ever written--from Dante to Tolkien. Ahmad Sadri's new, contemporary translation of the Shahnameh captures the beauty and grandeur of this sweeping epic of heroism, love, and the timeless struggle for justice. .... An accessible, powerful experience of this enduring classic.--Reza Aslan, author of An American Martyr in Persia: The Epic Life and Tragic Death of Howard Baskerville The single most important text for understanding the history and worldview of the Persianate world. .... The modern translation in prose by Ahmad Sadri beautifully captures the essence of this great medieval Persian epic for the English-speaking world.--Touraj Daryaee, Maseeh Chair in Persian Studies and Culture, University of California, Irvine A masterful prose translation of the Shahnameh ... which remains a pillar of Iranian identity to this day. This new translation will make the tales of the Shahnameh, replete with heroes, kings, and moral injunctions, available to a new generation of readers.--Ali M. Ansari, founding director of the Institute for Iranian Studies at the University of St. Andrews The definitive English-edition Shahnameh. There cannot be a more lovingly translated, artfully presented version--what a profound gift for lovers of Iran, history, language, poetry, humanity. What a gift for us all.--Kaveh Akbar, author of Martyr!