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Shahnameh
- The Epic of the Persian Kings
- Narrated by: Marc Thompson, Francis Ford Coppola - introduction
- Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
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Publisher's summary
The new, impeccable translation and adaptation of the Epic of Persian Kings by Ahmad Sadri brought to life a host of heroic characters and wove their adventures into a thrilling story spanning thousands of years. Containing four grand tragedies and four beautiful love stories, the audiobook is currently going into its fifth edition. It has been a smashing success. We are delighted to present a 12-hour audio experience of this text (performed by the award-winning voice actor, Marc Thompson) against the backdrop of evocative sound design and music editing of Hamid Rahmanian the creator of the Shahnameh project.
Now, make sure you have a good set of headphone/speakers and tighten your seat belts. This immersive audio experience will take you on a journey back to the soundscape of ancient Iranian heroes, monsters, lovers, and warriors. This is going to be one heck of a ride.
About the Book: Shahnameh: The Epic of the Persian Kings is the illustrated edition of the classic work written over one thousand years ago by Abolqasem Ferdowsi, one of Persia's greatest poets. This new prose translation of the national epic is illuminated with over 500 pages of illustrations and will be published in April 2013. The lush and intricate illustrations in this edition have been created by award-winning graphic artist and filmmaker Hamid Rahmanian, incorporating images from the pictorial tradition of the Persianate world from the fourteenth to the nineteenth centuries. The new translation and adaptation by Ahmad Sadri, retells the mythological and epic stories of the original poem in prose format. This Shahnameh is an extraordinary literary and artistic accomplishment.
Published by Liveright , distributed by W. W. Norton & Company Hardcover with slipcase, 592 pages, 500+ four-color illustrations ISBN 978-1-63149-446-8
Critic reviews
"Creating this audiobook breathes new life into the Shahnameh stories. It is an immersive experience, making these ancient tales tangible for those who are new to these incredible heroic stories and a delight for those already familiar with the poem" (Francis Ford Coppola)
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Layli and Majnun
- By: Nezami Ganjavi, Dick Davis - translator introduction
- Narrated by: Dick Davis, Peter Ganim, Serena Manteghi, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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The iconic love story of the Middle East, by a 12th-century Persian poet who has been compared to Shakespeare for his subtlety, inventiveness, and dramatic force, Layli and Majnun tells of star-crossed lovers whose union is tragically thwarted by their families and whose passion continues to ripple out across the centuries. Theirs is a love that lasts a lifetime, and in Nezami's immortal telling, erotic longing blends with spiritual self-denial in an allegory of Sufi aspiration, as the amenities of civilization give way to the elemental wilderness.
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Great Book
- By Anthony W. on 10-03-22
By: Nezami Ganjavi, and others
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The Arabian Nights Entertainments
- By: Louis Rhead
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 14 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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The central core of the stories concerns a Persian king and his new bride. The king has a brother who is a vizier in faraway Samarcand, and he invites him to come to the palace for a visit. Just before his departure, the vizier is shocked to discover his wife's infidelity. Enraged, he kills her. Full of pain and grief, the vizier continues on to the court of his brother, the king. But, once arrived at his brother's palace, the vizier soon discovers the king's wife is also involved in an even more flagrant infidelity.
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A PLEASURE NOT TO BE HURRIED
- By Marvin Brown on 09-21-16
By: Louis Rhead
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Vis and Ramin
- By: Fakhraddin Gorgani, Dick Davis - translator
- Narrated by: Mary Sarah Agliotta, Dick Davis (introduction)
- Length: 15 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Vis and Ramin is one of the world's great love stories. It was the first major Persian romance, written between 1050 and 1055 in rhyming couplets. This remarkable work has now been superbly translated into heroic couplets (the closest metrical equivalent of the Persian) by the poet and scholar Dick Davis.
Vis and Ramin had immense influence on later Persian poetry and is very probably also the source for the tale of Tristan and Isolde, which first appeared in Europe about a century later.
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Oh yes
- By ICS on 07-11-21
By: Fakhraddin Gorgani, and others
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Persian Mythology
- Captivating Myths of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes, and Legendary Creatures
- By: Matt Clayton
- Narrated by: Michael Reaves
- Length: 3 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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You may have studied the ancient Persian Empire in school, but have you ever wondered what kinds of stories the ancient Persians told to themselves and their children? The roots of Persian myth extend back more than five thousand years to the culture of the Aryan people who migrated into Iran from India. Ideas from this ancient culture have enjoyed amazing longevity and are alive even today as part of the Zoroastrian faith, which is still practiced in Iran, India, and several other places around the world.
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Not what I thought it would be, and many mispronounced words
- By Michelle Lewis on 08-03-21
By: Matt Clayton
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A History of Iran
- Empire of the Mind
- By: Michael Axworthy
- Narrated by: Peter Ganim
- Length: 13 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Although frequently vilified, Iran is a nation of great intellectual variety and depth, and one of the oldest continuing civilizations in the world. Its political impact has been tremendous, not only on its neighbors in the Middle East but also throughout the world. From the time of the prophet Zoroaster, to the powerful ancient Persian Empires, to the revolution of 1979, the hostage crisis, and the current standoff over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Michael Axworthy vividly depicts the nation’s rich history.
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Lazy Narration
- By Arya Pourtabatabaie on 11-05-16
By: Michael Axworthy
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The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World
- By: Robert Garland, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Robert Garland
- Length: 24 hrs and 28 mins
- Original Recording
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Look beyond the abstract dates and figures, kings and queens, and battles and wars that make up so many historical accounts. Over the course of 48 richly detailed lectures, Professor Garland covers the breadth and depth of human history from the perspective of the so-called ordinary people, from its earliest beginnings through the Middle Ages.
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Tantalizing time trip
- By Mark on 08-21-13
By: Robert Garland, and others
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The Rāmāyana of Valmīki
- By: ValmĪki, Ralph T. H. Griffith - translation
- Narrated by: Sagar Arya
- Length: 43 hrs and 30 mins
- Original Recording
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The ancient Indian Sanskrit epic the Rāmāyana was composed some time between the first and fifth centuries BCE. As is the case with most ancient literature firmly rooted in the oral tradition, precise dating is problematic. Traditionally attributed to the sage Valmīki, and composed in rhyming couplets, it is one of the two great Indian epics (the other being the Mahābhārata); consequently it is known and revered not just throughout the Indian subcontinent but also in South-East Asian countries as well, indeed wherever Hindu culture became established.
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Ending is Disappointing
- By Kevin Vecchione on 05-23-20
By: ValmĪki, and others
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Kalevala: The Ancient Epic of Finland
- By: Elias Lonnrot, John Martin Crawford - translator
- Narrated by: Robert Bethune
- Length: 14 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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The Kalevala is the signature work of traditional Finnish culture. In story after story, it explores the human and divine world as understood by the traditional runic singers of the north. It sings of how the universe came to be, how the natural world works, how divine and supernatural worlds relate to the world of humankind, how human beings relate to each other, how good and evil and life and death function in the world.
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Beer Making, Heroic Wooing, and Magical Singing!
- By Jefferson on 01-20-13
By: Elias Lonnrot, and others
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Rome and Persia
- The Seven Hundred Year Rivalry
- By: Adrian Goldsworthy
- Narrated by: Mark Elstob
- Length: 20 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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The Roman empire was like no other. Stretching from the north of Britain to the Sahara, and from the Atlantic coast to the Euphrates, it imposed peace and prosperity on an unprecedented scale. Its only true rival lay in the east, where the Parthian and then Persian empires ruled over great cities and the trade routes to mysterious lands beyond. Tracing seven centuries of conflict between Rome and Persia, historian Adrian Goldsworthy shows how these two great powers evolved together
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Great book ruined by an irritating reader
- By privacy on 10-27-23
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The Persian Boy
- A Novel of Alexander the Great
- By: Mary Renault
- Narrated by: Roger May
- Length: 19 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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The Persian Boy traces the last years of Alexander's life through the eyes of his lover, Bagoas. Abducted and gelded as a boy, Bagoas is sold as a courtesan to King Darius of Persia, but finds freedom with Alexander the Great after the Macedon army conquers his homeland. Their relationship sustains Alexander as he weathers assassination plots, the demands of two foreign wives, a sometimes mutinous army, and his own ferocious temper.
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History Brought to Vivid Life
- By Carol on 02-08-15
By: Mary Renault
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Lost Enlightenment
- Central Asia's Golden Age from the Arab Conquest to Tamerlane
- By: S. Frederick Starr
- Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell
- Length: 25 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Lost Enlightenment recounts how, between the years 800 and 1200, Central Asia led the world in trade and economic development, the size and sophistication of its cities, the refinement of its arts, and, above all, in the advancement of knowledge in many fields. Central Asians achieved signal breakthroughs in astronomy, mathematics, geology, medicine, chemistry, music, social science, philosophy, and theology, among other subjects.
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Subject worthwhile but repetative narrative
- By F-M on 04-10-14
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Faces of Love
- Hafez and the Poets of Shiraz
- By: Dick Davis, Hafez, Jahan Malek Khatun, and others
- Narrated by: Dick Davis, Tala Ashe, Ramiz Monsef
- Length: 5 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Together, Hafez, a giant of world literature; Jahan Malek Khatun, an eloquent princess; and Obayd-e Zakani, a dissolute satirist, represent one of the most remarkable literary flowerings of any era. Here Dick Davis, an award-winning poet widely considered "our finest translator of Persian poetry" (The Times Literary Supplement), presents a diverse selection of some of the best poems by these world-renowned authors and shows us the spiritual and secular aspects of love, in varieties embracing every aspect of the human heart.
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Lovely, and as sweet as wine
- By Anonymous User on 03-14-21
By: Dick Davis, and others
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America and Iran
- A History, 1720 to the Present
- By: John Ghazvinian
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders
- Length: 27 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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In this rich, fascinating history, John Ghazvinian traces the complex story of the relations between these two nations back to the Persian Empire of the 18th century - the subject of great admiration by Thomas Jefferson and John Quincy Adams - and an America seen by Iranians as an ideal to emulate for their own government.
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Distortions Galore
- By Chuck S. on 03-15-21
By: John Ghazvinian
What listeners say about Shahnameh
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Anonymous User
- 01-23-19
Learn about Persian culture through epic tales
My girlfriend is Persian so I listened to Shahnameh to better understand Persian culture. My girlfriend listened to the first half of the story with me on a road trip and then followed along by reading a Farsi version. I was impressed at how entertaining the stories were, it was like a better version of The Iliad with more poignant moral lessons. At the same time my girlfriend felt the translation was very accurate with only minor details left out and minor differences in the order of events which did not effect the flow or themes of the stories. The decision to put the sections of Shanameh in which Ferdowsi uses his own voice to verse is brilliant and serves as a constant reminder that you are reading a beautiful poem that has survived the test of time.
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13 people found this helpful
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- lava
- 03-02-18
A tremendous auditory experience
Any additional comments?
I greatly enjoyed listening to the Shahnameh Audio book. The original book is a long poem with many intertwined stories, hard even for the native Persian speakers to access all its details. This audio book, however, makes the core of the book available to everyone who can understand English. With a epic style narration, this auditory English version echos thousands of years of tradition of graphic storytelling. What I like the most about this version is inclusion of snippets of what could be called the wisdom of the Shahnameh. Ferdowsi did not want to only tell the story of king, but in those stories he masterfully places emphasis on virtues such as kindness, justice over vices—glorifying good people and actions and criticize bad people and their actions, whoever they are. The Shahnameh is not a book of glorifying a particular group, it is one glorifying virtuous deeds and it is great this has been conveyed in this audio book.
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8 people found this helpful
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- Kevin Roberts
- 10-10-19
Annoying presentation of great stories
I really struggled listening to the entire book because of the melodramatic presentation of the material. Maybe they were going for the kind of presentation one would get from an authentic Persian storyteller but I found the sound effects distracting and cringed at the female voices. Unfortunately this was the only audiobook I could find of the Shanameh.
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4 people found this helpful
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- David Doolittle
- 05-02-19
excellent English translation
dramatized by narrator. Will listen again at least a dozen times. a story so characterizing of Persian culture it should be heard by anyone who has a interest in that region
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4 people found this helpful
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- Akvan
- 10-08-18
A unique and refreshing audio book experience.
I listen to a lots of spoken words and audiobooks but this one is different. In some chapters you feel you are in the space and even more. Specially chapter 9th and 14th. The production value of this project is just awesome. Highly recommended for the long trip or even in the gym! I myself listen to it mostly on the subway! chapter a day!
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4 people found this helpful
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- mahnaz
- 07-22-18
magnificent audiobook and cool sound effects!
I enjoyed listening to this audiobook a lot; the sound imitation and background sound effects made it seem like as if you were watching a movie! I highly recommend this :)
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4 people found this helpful
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- Intazaar
- 02-17-18
an epic like no other
for years the shahnameh has fascinated me... this audiobook is a good representation of the original epic
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4 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 11-14-18
Translation
This book was written during the time of the Persian Empire and the translation does not address Persia but instead identifies Iran as the place this story was written. This takes away the ancient mystery of the entire tale. What a shame.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Savannah
- 11-09-18
I loved it!
I loved this epic! It has a bit of everything- romance, war, revenge, adventure... you name it.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Luis Lara
- 03-27-18
Great performance, amazing story
I've been dying to read Shahnameh for a long time. Now, I'm INCREDIBLY happy that this version exists to bring it to life - THANK YOU!!!
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3 people found this helpful