History and Literature in Iran

by Charles Melville

The theme of this book is the wealth and diversity of Iranian culture. It traces the role in seventeen essays of the literature as a social force in Iran, and through this approach provides original insights into the political and social history of the region.

The book examines a variety of topics from medieval to modern the rules of prosody in Persian poetry; Sadiq Chubak's short stories; the authorship of ""The History of Shah Isma'il""; available sources for the study of social history in late Qajar Iran; European secondary studies on the Safavid period; Shah Abbas's policy of deporting and resettling Armenians; the conversion of the Mongol rulers to Islam; the Barmakid system of administration; and Baihaqui's account of the Ghaznavid vazir, Hasanak.

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Charles Melville is Professor of Persian History and Fellow of Pembroke College at the University of Cambridge.