Invoked over the centuries as
"a political statement against power and tyranny", Shahnama's concern with universal values and deepening of human conscience makes it an enduring text for all times.
There is much that is groundbreaking in the new readings of the Shahnama and this is exemplified in the essays and images of the exhibition. Representations of the epic's main hero Rostam, for example, range from his traditional depictions as heroic warrior, to comical macho, digital war machine, and Talibanic dev. Likewise, some of the essays unveil a surprising facet of Shahnama women. Bold and confident, these women show remarkable perseverance as individuals, taking a stand especially when it comes to choosing their husbands, or raising sons as single parent.
The essays in the book further examine the epic's importance in a turbulent region spanning Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran—a region that largely constitutes the poem's theatre of action and is the epic
ISBN No. 9780956
