Iran's national epic, the Shahnameh of Ferdowsi, has traditionally been regarded by both Persians and Westerners as a poem celebrating the central role of monarchy in Persian history. In this groundbreaking book, Dick Davis argues that the poem is far more than a patriotic chronicle of kingly deeds. Rather, it is a subtle and highly ambiguous discussion of authority, and far from being a celebration of monarchy, its most famous episodes and heroes amount to a radical critique of the institution. Davis demonstrates that the public world of kingly authority is shadowed in the poem by a series of tragic father-son relationships, and that in both the royal and familial spheres, authority figures are invariably presented as morally inferior to those whom they govern. The Shahnameh's complex aesthetic structure and its tragic resolution of problem of authority and hierarchy make it an artistic artifact able to take its rightful place beside the major masterpieces of world literature.
"Davis explores the main themes of the Shahnameh with great insight and provides some convincing answers to these questions. In doing so, he rightly emphasizes the poet's own dramatic conception of the work, thus rescuing it from the notion that it is simply a versified chronicle of the kings of Iran.... Davis discusses complex interlocking themes cogently.... The main issue emerges with great clarity and force." -Times Literary Supplement
"Davis has succeeded in bringing alive the issues and the conflicts which inform the Shahnameh in a study which will undoubtedly remain important for many years to come." -Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society