{"product_id":"the-shahnameh-volume-i-second-edition-a-new-english-translation-9798218921361","title":"The Shahnameh Volume I Second Edition: A New English Translation","description":"\u003cp\u003eCompleted in the year 1010 by the Persian poet Ferdowsi, The Shahnameh, or Book of Kings, stands among the great epics of world literature. For over a millennium, it has shaped Persian cultural memory through its sweeping chronicle of kings and heroes, cosmic origins and tragic destinies, rendered in verse that is lyrical, evocative, and enduring.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis second edition of The Shahnameh: A New English Translation by Josiane Cohanim presents the epic in clear, modern, unrhymed verse, preserving the spirit, grandeur, and symbolism of Ferdowsi's original while making it accessible to contemporary English-language readers. Drawing on more than sixteen years of study, this volume offers a faithful literary adaptation of the poem's foundational narratives, from the philosophical creation story to the legendary and tragic battle of Rostam and Sohrab.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA distinguishing feature of this edition is the inclusion of the Moghaddameh (Prelude), a metaphysical and philosophical opening often omitted from other English translations. Its inclusion provides readers with deeper insight into Ferdowsi's vision of creation, kingship, and heroism, setting the poetic framework for the epic as a whole.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe second edition has been carefully revised, with refined language and updated phrasing throughout, and includes a comprehensive index to guide readers through the work's rich cast of characters, places, and themes.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhether approached as myth, semi-historical epic, cultural foundation, or philosophical meditation on fate, virtue, and justice, The Shahnameh continues to resonate with undiminished power more than a thousand years after its composition.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFerdowsi, Hakim Abul-Ghassem:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - The Iranian poet Ferdowsi (940-1020) was born into a family of landowners near the city of Tous, in northwestern Iran. His epic poem, THE SHAHNAMEH, is one of the most important works of Persian literature. It is a collection of myths, legends, and history that begins with the story of creation, covers the various Persian dynasties, and ends with the Arab conquest of Iran. With the death of King Yazdegerd, the last Sassanian king, the caliphate \"brings a new religion and replaces the throne with the pulpit.\" Ferdowsi spent thirty years composing THE SHAHNAMEH. One of his incentives was clearly the preservation of the past: Iran's myths, history, and language. He gathered centuries-old myths and legends handed down through oral and written traditions. There were early prose writings and, most notably, one thousand verses written by the poet Daghighi. Ferdowsi adapted Daghighi's lines into his 50,000 well-crafted and lyrical couplets. In the end, he handed his final manuscript to Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni (999-1030), who is said to have failed to pay him appropriately. In the process of recording ancient myths, Ferdowsi reveals an even greater incentive: the importance of the spoken and the written word and the precious value of words of wisdom. His poetic language is most effective in communicating the complexities of the human mystical journey in varying layers of depth through characters, battles, actions, and unfolding stories.\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCohanim, Josiane:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Josiane Cohanim was born in Iran, raised in Switzerland, and educated in the United States. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in French and Spanish literature from Wheaton College in Massachusetts, a master's in French literature from Stanford University, and achieved candidacy at Stanford's French literature doctoral program. Over one thousand years after Ferdowsi, Cohanim's personal journey came from a desire to make sense out of life and out of history. It led her to the close study and the translation of Ferdowsi's extraordinary work. As a text that helped her grasp a deeper understanding of life and of human nature, it inspired her to share its timeless wisdom with a wider audience.","brand":"Girouette Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52127720571154,"sku":"9798218921361","price":23.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_b7401f59-2dad-499e-9aa9-b3833e121cd5.jpg?v=1773744873","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-shahnameh-volume-i-second-edition-a-new-english-translation-9798218921361","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}