Category Archives: Iran

Translating Classical Persian Literature: Introducing Ferdowsi and the Shahnameh – Part 1

Posted on March 27, 2010 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

Often called the national epic of Iran, the Shahnameh or Book of Kings, was written in the 10th century CE by Abolqasem Ferdowsi, who took as his subject the pre-Islamic history of the Iranian people, starting with the creation of … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran, literature | 1 Comment

Norouz Pirouz! Eid Moborak! Happy Iranian New Year!

Posted on March 21, 2010 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

It is Norouz, the Persian New Year, which is celebrated far and wide throughout what used to be the Persian Empire, and I thought I would share with you the section of Shahnameh, the Book of Kings, often called the … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran, literature | 4 Comments

An Online Graphic Novel About Iran

Posted on February 23, 2010 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

Zahra’s Paradise. Here’s the first page: Only chapter one is up so far, but it looks like it’s going to be a very good book. Go check it out.

Posted in Cartooning & comics, Iran | 1 Comment

The Tehran Symphony Orchestra in Geneva and Richard Taruskin's "Common Fallacy"

Posted on February 8, 2010 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

Writing in this past Thursday’s issue of The New York Times (February 4th), Michael Kimmelman compares the European tour on which the government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sent the Tehran Symphony Orchestra to similar tours on which the former Soviet Union … Continue reading →

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Tehran University professor Massoud Alimohammadi assassinated in Iran

Posted on January 12, 2010 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

This is my constant refrain these days when it comes to current events in Iran: I wish I had time to do more than write this little bit and link to a couple of blog posts and articles worth reading, … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran | 2 Comments

Translating Classical Persian Poetry: Why Retranslate Attar's "Ilahi-Nama?"

Posted on December 30, 2009 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

Farid Al-Din Attar is one of the most important writers in the Persian canon. Not only is he a major poet in his own right, but his work offers crucial insight into Sufi thought and experience, while prefiguring other important … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran, literature | 3 Comments

Translating Classical Persian Poetry: Farid al-Din Attar's "Ilahi-Nama"

Posted on December 28, 2009 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

One of eight major works that can reliably be ascribed to Attar, Ilahi-Nama (Book of God or, sometimes, Divine Book) has, according to Encyclopedia Iranica, been translated once into English, by John A. Boyle in 1976, and once into French, … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran, literature | 1 Comment

Translating Classical Iranian Poetry: Farid al-Din Attar

Posted on December 13, 2009 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

The only things we know for sure about the life of Farid al-Din Attar are that he was a pharmacist and a native of Nishapur, Iran, where a monument to him that was built over his tomb at the end … Continue reading →

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Maziar Bahari on The Daily Show

Posted on December 11, 2009 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

Edited to add: Bahari has written in Newsweek a harrowing and necessary-to-read account of his imprisonment. Go read it right now. Maziar Bahari, a Newsweek journalist, was held in prison for 118 days in Iran after the contested elections in … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran | 1 Comment

The Opposition in Iran is Still Protesting

Posted on December 8, 2009 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

I wish I had the time to do more than link to this post on The Lede blog over at The New York Times because there is a lot to say and think about in terms of what is happening … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran | 2 Comments