Epic of the Persian Kings The Shahnameh of Ferdowsi

by Brend, Barbara; Melville, Charles

• ISBN13: 9781848856561
• ISBN10: 1848856563
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-12-15
• Publisher: I. B. Tauris

Summary

Epic of the Persian Kings combines revealing scholarship with stunning, full-colour illustrations from the rich manuscript tradition of the Shahnameh. International experts including Charles Melville, Barbara Brend, Dick Davis and Firuza Abullaeva shed light on the epic's background, national importance and enduring legacy. This context is accompanied by a wealth of illustrations from Shahnameh manuscripts belonging to the Fitzwilliam Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Bodleian Library, as well as rarely-seen material from the Royal Collection. These illustrations, drawn from a wide range of artists and styles, display the timeless flexibility of the Shahnameh story as well as the marvellous ingenuity of the Persian artistic experience.

Author Biography

Charles Melville is Professor of Persian History and Fellow of Pembroke College at the University of Cambridge. Among his numerous publications he is the editor of Safavid Persia, A History of Persian Literature, Vol X and joint editor of the Cambridge History of Iran, Vol VII. He is also Director of the AHRC Cambridge Shahnameh Project.

Barbara Brend is a specialist in the field of Islamic manuscript painting, Persian, Ottoman, Sultanate and Mughal. She is the author of Islamic Art, The Emperor Akbar's Khamsa of Nizami, Perspectives on Persian Painting: Illustrations to Amir Khusrau's Khamsah and Muhammad Juki's Shahnamah of Firdausi.

Table of Contents

"With many more manuscripts than could be displayed in the exhibition, the catalogue is worth having in its own right. It places the 'Shahnameh' in its historical and literary context, stressing its centrality to Iranian identity. Photographed in close-up, the extraordinary detail of the pictures and ceramics in the exhibition becomes apparent." —The Economist


"Barbara Brend...gives expert guidance on the conventions of Iranian art" - Robert Irwin in the Times Literary Supplement


"The work is an exceptional addition to publications on the Shahnameh. It is, moreover, a valuable addition to any library that maintains an undergraduate or graduate Iranian studies program, Middle Eastern/Islamic Studies program or art history program in general" - Sean Swanick, The Muslim World Book Review



'It provides good, concise, scholarly overviews of the author, the historical context in which he wrote, and the subsequent immense impact of this work on Persian literature and culture, along with a very brief account of the poem's stories. This is a significant resource for scholars. Summing up: Recommended.' - CHOICE