TEHRAN – Iran’s Islamic Culture and Relations Organization announced on Monday that Georgian scholar Murman Tavdishvili has authored the life story of Ferdowsi, the composer of the Persian epic masterpiece Shahnameh.

“The Life Story of Abulqasem Ferdowsi” edited by Professor Nomady Bartaya has recently been published by Intelekti Publishing    

Tavdishvili, a professor at the Georgian Technical University, has previously published several books tracing the influence of Ferdowsi and another Iranian poet, Nezami, on the medieval Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli.

Tavdishvili has written the book based on the real-life of Ferdowsi, however, in some parts, he let his imaginations fly across the social and cultural atmosphere dominating Iran for a thousand years ago to embellish his story on the icon of classical Persian literature. 

The book also provides the readers with a window into a part of Iranian history and also gives a deep insight into the cultural affinities between Iran and Georgia.

Persian literati believe that the Shahnameh (Book of Kings) can be considered as a preserving force for keeping the culture and customs of the Iranian people alive. 

In a verse from the book, Ferdowsi wrote, “I toiled much over thirty years, by the Persian language I remade Iran.” It refers to the fact that Ferdowsi spent 30 years writing the Shahnameh over a millennium ago.

Tajik writer Satim Ulugzada has previously authored the novel “Firdavsi” on Ferdowsi.

A Persian translation of the novel by Mohammadreza Marashipur has recently been published by the Nilufar publishing house in Tehran.

Photo: This combination photo shows a statue of Ferdowsi and a teahouse painting depicting a story from his Shahnameh. 

MMS/YAW