Le Shahnameh: Le Livre des Rois par Ustad Khaleghi Motlagh Séries

Rich in mythical and historical narratives, this epic chronicles the Persian Empire's journey from creation to the 7th-century Arab conquest. Divided into three sections—myths, legends, and history—it explores timeless themes of power, love, and fidelity. Ferdowsi's masterful poetry has not only entertained generations but also significantly influenced Persian culture, society, and politics, making it a cornerstone of world literature. Its complexity and depth ensure its place as a compelling read for all.

Dick Davis, "our pre-eminent translator from the Persian" (Washington Post) has revised and expanded his highly-praised translation of Ferdowsi's masterpiece, including more than 100 pages of newly translated text. Davis's elegant combination of prose and verse allows the poetry of the Shanameh to sing its own tales directly, interspersed sparingly with clearly-marked explanations to ease along modern readers. Among the greatest works of world literature, this prodigious narrative, composed by the poet Ferdowsi in the late tenth century, tells the story of pre-Islamic Iran, beginning in the mythic time of creation and continuing forward to the Arab invasion in the seventh century.

Persische Literatur von ihrer schönsten Seite: Das um 1000 n. Chr. entstandene persische Nationalepos »Schahname« schildert die Geschichte des Iran bis zum Verfall des Sasanidenreiches. Zu den faszinierendsten Teilen gehören die Heldentaten des ruhmreichen Kämpfers Rostam, »dessen Haupt bis in die Wolken ragt«. Die große Islamwissenschaftlerin Annemarie Schimmel begrüßte die Neuübersetzung begeistert: Es sei höchste Zeit gewesen, »dass zumindest der wohl wichtigste Teil des Epos einmal dem deutschen Leser in eingängiger Prosa vorgelegt« werde. Jürgen Ehlers hat die farbenreiche Sprache anhand der historisch-kritischen Ausgabe in heutiges Deutsch übertragen, kommentiert und mit einem ausführlichen Nachwort versehen.

Ferdowsi's monumental tenth-century epic, the Shahnameh (The Epic of the Kings), is a compendium of Iranian myths, legends, and events of the ancient past. It is set within a framework of Persian traditional history from the creation to the collapse of the Iranian empire in the seventh-century C.E. One of the three major heroic epics produced in Asia (the others being the Indian Mahabharata and Ramayana), the Shahnameh has been considered over the centuries the greatest work of Persian literature and the strongest pillar of Persian identity. In his lucid prose translation of the Shahnameh the late Professor Reuben Levy has preserved the descriptive beauty and the dramatic tension of the original work.

The great national epic of Persia—the most complete English-language edition and definitive translation by Dick Davis, available in a deluxe edition by Penguin Classics .Wherever Persian influence has spread, the stories of the Shahnameh become deeply embedded in the culture, as amply attested by their appearance in such works as The Kite Runner and the love poems of Rumi and Hafez. Among the greatest works of world literature, this prodigious narrative, composed by the poet Ferdowsi in the late tenth century, tells the story of pre-Islamic Iran, beginning in the mythic time of creation and continuing forward to the Arab invasion in the seventh century. The sweep and psychological depth of the Shahnameh is nothing less than magnificent as it recounts classic tales like the tragedy of Rostam and Sohrab.Now Dick Davis, “our pre-eminent translator from the Persian” ( Washington Post ), presents a comprehensive translation of Ferdowsi’s masterpiece in an elegant combination of prose and verse, allowing the poetry of the Shanameh to sing its own tales directly, interspersed sparingly with clearly-marked explanations to ease along modern readers.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.