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E-book A Fire of Lilies : Perspectives on Literature and Politics in Modern Iran

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Penilaian

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In the blurb for his planned 20-volumeThe History of Persian Literature, thelate Ehsan Yarshater (1920–2018), a Nestor of Iranian Studies, characterisedPersian poetry as the jewel in the crown of Persian culture.1This is notan exaggeration; poetry plays a role in every domain of Persian culture. IfPersian culture is the body of Persian-speaking peoples, poetry is the soul,the stamina, and the aura. This soul was breathed into the body during therenaissance of Persian culture in the ninth century when, after two centuriesunder the sway of Arabic, literate Persians asserted themselves by composingpoetry in their mother tongue, and this poetry played an essential role in therevival of Persian culture.2One example is Ferdowsi’s monumental poem,Epic of the King(Sh?h-n?meh). Encompassing over 50,000 couplets, the epicrecounts the history of the Iranian peoples, from the creation myth to thearrival of the Muslim Arabs in Persia. One of its central themes is the ethicsof good rule and true justice. The epic is still read, recited, performed andembroidered upon in Iran today.In the early Islamic context, in which most of the ancient cultures ofthe region, including Egypt, had acquiesced in the dominance of Arabiclanguage and culture, the rise of Persian as a literary and cultural mediumwas surely politically marked. The emergence of several local dynasties inEastern Iranian lands which propagated Persian culture by inviting poets tothe court greatly enhanced Persian culture. A history of the role of Persianpoetry as a political medium remains a desideratum.3One could arguethat in this classical and largely courtly tradition, literature is a twin ofpolitics, since literature carries political messages, and politics providesnew subjects for literature. Persian poetry was not only used at Persiancourts (and later at Ottoman and Mughal courts and even at a court in China), it became a medium for mystics in a vast area from the Balkans to Bengal.

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Ketersediaan

Informasi Detail

Judul Seri

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No. Panggil

891.5 KAR a

Penerbit

: ., 2019

Deskripsi Fisik

237 hlm

Bahasa

English

ISBN/ISSN

9789400603509

Klasifikasi

NONE

Tipe Isi

text

Tipe Media

computer

Tipe Pembawa

online resource

Edisi

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Subjek

Iranian Literatures

Info Detail Spesifik

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Pernyataan Tanggungjawab

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Versi lain/terkait

Lampiran Berkas

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