About this item
A new, lushly illustrated edition of the classic work Shahnameh. Ferdowsi’s epic poem Shahnameh is part myth, part history—it begins with the legend of the birth of the Persian nation and its tumultuous history. It contains magical birds, and superhuman heroes, and centuries-long battles. Written over 1,000 years ago, it was meant to protect Persian collective memory amdist a turbulent sea cultural storms. Originally written in couplets, the new translation and adaptation by Ahmad Sadri retells the mythological tales in prose format. The spectacular illustrations in this edition were created from elements culled from thousands of illuminated manuscripts, lithographs, and miniatures dating from the thirteenth through nineteenth centuries, each panel becomes a new work of art, an exquisite collage of traditional forms.
About the Author
Hamid Rahmanian is a 2014 John Guggenheim Fellow. His work centers on film, theater and graphic arts. Rahmanian was educated in Tehran, Iran where he gained his B.F.A. in Graphic Design from Tehran University. His work as a graphic designer spans two decades. He owned and managed a top firm in Tehran for five years. In 1992, he received the highest honor and was awarded recognition as the youngest professional designer in Iran. He has received numerous awards for his achievements and his work has been exhibited in international festivals and competitions. He continued working as a graphic designer in the US and has been commissioned to do work for cultural organizations and commercial companies including The United Nations, GQ Magazine, Lincoln Center, Tribeca Film Institute, Pacifica Radio/Democracy Now!, Aramex, and Eurasia Foundation. Mr. Rahmanian moved to the United States and earned a M.F.A. in Computer Animation in 1997 from Pratt Institute. He received "The First Place College Award" from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, was nominated for a Student Academy Award and was in competition at Annecy International Animation Festival for his animation, THE SEVENTH DAY. According to the Wall Street Journal, in 1996, he was the youngest recipient ever to receive the National Interest Waiver from the U.S. for his outstanding work as an artist. After completing his studies, he was hired by Disney Feature Animation Company as a Look Development Artist where he worked on "Tarzan", "The Emperor's New Groove" and "Dinosaur". In 1998, Mr. Rahmanian left Disney and established his own production company, Fictionville Studio. His first 35 mm short film, AN I WITHIN, received Kodak's "Best Cinematography Award", "Best American Short" from the LA International Short Film Festival and "Special Achievement Award" from the USA Film Festival. He went on to make three documentaries. BREAKING BREAD (2000) and SIR ALFRED OF CHARLES DE GAULLE AIRPORT (2001, the story on which Spielberg's The Terminal was based) were well received by the media and worldwide audiences. SHAHRBANOO (2002) first premiered on PBS station WNET where it received the highest rating for an independently produced documentary and has been broadcast on networks around the globe. His first feature length fiction film, DAY BREAK (2005) premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, went on to screen at festivals and theaters all over the world, including the Venice and Tribeca Film Festivals in 2006 and won numerous international awards. THE GLASS HOUSE (2008) a feature length documentary premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and IDFA and was the winner of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) Human Rights Award, among other awards. His films have been used in the NGO sector to combat negative stereotypes about Iranians, to promote anti-capital punishment laws
