Alexander the Great in the Persian tradition
Subtitle: history, myth and legend in medieval Iran
By: Haila Manteghi
Series: Library of medieval studies -- 8; Library of medieval studies -- v. 8.
Publisher: I.B. Tauris
Published: 2018
Language: eng
Number of pages: 256
ISBN-13: 9781788310307
Copyright date: 2018
Subjects: History and criticism; Literature and history; Persian literature; Themes, motives; In literature; Literature and folklore; Romances
Description: Alexander the Great (356-333 BC) was transformed into legend by all those he met, leaving an enduring tradition of romances across the world. Aside from its penetration into every language of medieval Europe, the Alexander Romance arguably had its greatest impact in the Persian language. Haila Manteghi here offers a complete survey of that deep tradition, ranging from analysis of classical Persian poetry to popular romances and medieval Arabic historiography. She explores how the Greek work first entered the Persian literary tradition and traces the development of its influence, before revealing the remarkable way in which Alexander become as central to the Persian tradition as any other hero or king. And, importantly, by focusing on the often-overlooked early medieval Persian period, she also demonstrates that a positive view of Alexander developed in Arabic and Persian literature before the Islamic era. Drawing on an impressive range of sources in various languages--including Persian, Arabic and Greek--Manteghi provides a profound new contribution to the study of the Alexander Romances--back cover.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 232-250) and index.