The Story of Rustem: And Other Persian Hero Tales from Firdusi

Firdusi was a Persian poet, author of the Shah Namah [the book of kings], the great Persian epic. His original name was Abul Kasim Mansur; he is thought to have been born of a yeoman family of Khorasan. He received a thorough education in Muslim learning and in the Persian language and antiquities. The course of his life is not certain because of the immense accretion of legend about it. He lived at the court of Mahmud of Ghazna, with a group of antiquarians. Firdusi undertook his epic history of Persia dealing with the period from the arrival of the Persians to that of the Arabs to glorify Persia's past. He dedicated the work to the king, who paid him less than Firdusi expected. The poet wrote a savage satire on the king (usually prefaced to editions of the Shah Namah) and fled. He wandered from court to court and arrived in his old age at his home. His poem, in 60,000 verses, is the first great work of modern Persian literature. In it Firdusi set the mark for Persian poetry with his even rhyme, stately cadences, and continuous flow. The poem has taken a singular place in Iran, and long sections of it are recited by illiterate tribespeople.