Full Description
This magical collection of stories, gathered from the rich treasury of Persian folk and fairytales, tells of love and longing, fate and human ingenuity, loss and grace. Although sources of these tales have been lost over the ages, their memory runs through the collective psyche of the Iranian people. Handed down through generations, told by professional storytellers in bazaars and gatherings, these tales have been made popular the world over by great poets such as Rumi and Firdowsi. At the same time, beneath these charmed narratives, they reflect deep cultural and psychological insights into the attitudes, values and structures which constitute Iranian society. In her own unique voice - with style, charm and humour - Shusha Guppy narrates these timeless fables of princes and princesses; dervishes and miracle-working saints; jinns and giants; flame-breathing dragons and winged horses; sorcerers and magicians.
Contents
Acknowledgements
Foreword
The Padishah and His Three Daughters
The Thief and the Cunning Bride
The Talking Skull
The Magic Saucepan and the Piece of Lamb's Tail
Haroon al-Rashid's Favourite Concubine
The Secret of Laughter
The King and the Prophet Khizr
The Cruel Mother-in-Law
The Lazy Wife
The Man Whose Luck Had Gone to Sleep
I Know That Already
The Good Vizir and His Pride
The Laughing Scarecrow
The Good Young Man and the Heavenly Woman
The Thorn-Seller and the Bird of Paradise
Soltan Mahmoud and the Band of Robbers
The Fortune-Teller's Fortune
The Story of Bijan and Manijeh
Notes
List of Persian Words
