Epic of Kings: Stories Retold from Firdusi

The Shahnameh (The Book of Kings) is a monumental poem composed around 1000 C.E. by the Persian poet Ferdowsi. It narrates the exploits of mythical kings and heroes of ancient Persia as well as historical episodes from the Sasanian era. It is regarded as the national epic of Iran and its stories were once well known wherever Persian poetry was read, from Central Asia to Anatolia and from India to the Caucasus. Helen Zimmern's version retells some of the best-known legends of the Shahnameh in Eng