{"product_id":"the-ants-gift-a-study-of-the-shahnameh-9780815637080","title":"The Ant's Gift: A Study of the Shahnameh","description":"Shahrokh Meskoob was one of Iran's leading intellectuals and a preeminent scholar of Persian literary traditions, language, and cultural identity. In \u003ci\u003eThe Ant's Gift, \u003c\/i\u003e Meskoob applies his insight and considerable analytical skills to the Shahnameh, the national epic of Iran completed in 1010 by the poet Abul-Qâsem Ferdowsi. Tracing Iran's history from its first mythical king to the fall of the Sasanian dynasty, the Shahnameh includes myths, romance, history, and political theory. Meskoob sheds new light on this seminal work of Persian culture, identifying the story as at once a historical and poetic work. While previous criticism of the Shahnameh has focused on its linguistic importance and its role in Iranian nationalism, Meskoob draws attention to the work's pre-Islamic cultural origins.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eShahrokh Meskoob \u003c\/b\u003e(1924-2005) was a translator, writer, scholar, and one of the most influential public intellectuals in Iran. He published translations of Sophocles's \u003ci\u003eAntigone\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eOedipus Rex\u003c\/i\u003e, and Steinbeck's \u003ci\u003eGrapes of Wrath\u003c\/i\u003e. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eIn the Alley of the Friend: On the Poetry of Hafez\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eDick Davis\u003c\/b\u003e is a poet, author, translator, and emeritus professor of Persian at Ohio State University. He is the translator of \u003ci\u003eFaces of Love: Hafez and the Poets of Shiraz\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Syracuse University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50376795685138,"sku":"9780815637080","price":27.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_cd9d8318-fc67-4da6-a0ce-8415348ff985.jpg?v=1728608199","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-ants-gift-a-study-of-the-shahnameh-9780815637080","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}