Persian Narrative Poetry in the Classical Era, 800-1500: Romantic and Didactic Genres

Persian literature is the jewel in the crown of Persian culture. It has profoundly influenced the literatures of Ottoman Turkey, Muslim India and Turkic Central Asia. It has been a source of inspiration for Goethe, Emerson, Matthew Arnold and Jorge Luis Borges among others and praised by William Jones, Tagore, E. M. Forster and many more. Yet Persian literature has never received the attention in the West, which it merits. Whereas Persian art and architecture, and more recently Iranian cinema, have been written about extensively and at different levels for a varied audience, Persian literature - the greatest achievement of the Iranian people, and one of the major literatures of the world - has largely remained the exclusive domain of specialists. And although in the past few years the poems of Rumi have attracted the kind of popular attention enjoyed by Omar Khayyam's quatrains in the 19th century, Persian literature has never had the impact of the recognition outside the Persianate world of a major world literature. A History of Persian Literature responds to this need and offers a new, comprehensive and detailed history of its subject. This multi-volume, authoritative survey reflects the stature and significance of Persian literature as the single most important accomplishment of the Iranian nation. Prominent scholars in the field bring a fresh critical approach to bear on this important topic and each volume includes representative samples of this literature. *** The third volume in this ground-breaking series explores mainly the poems written in the couplet form (mathnavi) including narrative mathnavis, allegorical mathnavis such as Conference of the Birds by Attar as well as didactive mathnavis such as Sa'di's Bustan and Rumi's Mathnavi-ye Ma'navi. Included in this volume are also Strophic Poetry, Satirical and Invective Poems and Occasional Poems (qat'e) and some rarer forms of Persian poetry. Exploring these genres of Persian poetry and the major figures of each genre such as Rudaki, Nezami, Sana'i, Attar, Sa'di and Rumi, there is a detailed examination of the intricate interplay between form and content. Through expert and revealing analysis of these distinctive Persian poetic genres this volume provides invaluable insights into their creation and development. Examining the contribution of the great practitioners of the era, some of the most distinguished authorities on the subject lend their expertise to unravel the complex but central role played by poetry in its golden age. This volume is an invaluable companion for anyone who wants to understand the continuing relevance and influence of Classical Persian Poetry.