CELTIC DREAMS : Dublin’s Chester Beatty Library Celebrates 'Heroes & Kings of the Shahnama'

Share/Save/Bookmark

CELTIC DREAMS : Dublin’s Chester Beatty Library Celebrates 'Heroes & Kings of the Shahnama'
by Darius Kadivar
18-Dec-2011
 

Storytelling, Music and Art from 'Heroes and Kings of the Shahnama' (Book of Kings) at the Chester Beatty Library 2011, funded by the British Council and Heritage Council Ireland.

The Shahnama (Book of Kings) is one of the great classics of world literature. Frequently referred to as the Iranian national epic, it relates the glorious tales of the heroes and kings of Iran, from the dawn of time until the Islamic conquest inthe mid-seventh century. This epic poem of some 60,000 verses was completed inthe year 1010 by the poet Firdowsi and to mark the 1000th anniversary of this great event, the Chester Beatty Library is presenting a major exhibition of some 150 paintings, all drawn from its own important 'Shahnama' ( aka 'Shahnameh') collection. Exhibit running from 17 November 2010 to 3 April 2011

Shahnama at the Chester Beatty Library :

Storytelling, Music and Art from 'Heroes and Kings of the Shahnama' (Book of Kings) at the Chester Beatty Library 2011, funded by the British Council and Heritage Council Ireland. Video Production: Raven, Storyteller: Xanthe Gresham, Musician: Arash Moradi, Sound Recording: Cliff Horseman, Lighting: Aisling Fox - with thanks to Jenny Siung and the Educate Together schools in Dublin.

(NOTE : To Watch Double Click HERE)

Heroes and Kings of the Shahnama (aka Shahnameh):

Part I © The Trustees of the Chester Beatty Library
 Film by Elaine Wright and John Forde

(NOTE :To Watch Double Click HERE)

Part II © The Trustees of the Chester Beatty Library
 Film by Elaine Wright and John Forde

(NOTE : To Watch Double Click HERE)

The Shahnama (Book of Kings) is one of the great classics of world literature. Frequently referred to as the Iranian national epic, it relates the glorious tales of theheroes and kings of Iran, from the dawn of time until the Islamic conquest inthe mid-seventh century. This epic poem of some 60,000 verses was completed inthe year 1010 by the poet Firdowsi and to mark the 1000th anniversary of this great event, the Chester Beatty Library is presenting a major exhibition of some 150 paintings, all drawn from its own important Shahnama collection.

The Shahnama is a tale of morals and ethics about, and directed at, kings. It is essentially a guide of how (or how not) to rule, but it is far from the dry text one might assume it to be. Instead, guidance is provided by example, by means ofcaptivating and often highly amusing tales of kings and heroes slayingfire-breathing dragons and other monstrous beasts, foolish kings attempting to fly, wizards magically conjuring up snow storms to defeat the opposing army, and of Alexander the Great’s failed attempt to find the Fountain of Youth.

The paintings were all produced in Iran and India between the fourteenth and nineteenth centuries and all are as magnificent as the tales they illustrate.


Listen to an intervew with curator, Dr Elaine Wright (Audio File)

About the Chester Beatty Library :

The Chester Beatty Library is a public charitable trust established under the will of the late Sir Alfred Chester Beatty, which was granted probate in 1969. The Library is in the ownership of a Board of Trustees who hold it for the use and benefit of the public.

As a charitable institution the Library is responsible directly to the Commissioners of Charitable Donations and Bequests and comes under the aegis of the Attorney General, in his role as protector of charities.

The Library isover 90 per cent funded by a grant-in-aid from the Department of Tourism,Culture and Sport.

The Library is governed by a Board of Trustees appointed under the terms of the will of Sir Alfred Chester Beatty as modified by an order of the High Court of 16 December 1997. The new arrangements for service of trustees, appointment of ministerial nominees to the Board of Trustees and of a new location for the library were approved by the Court in accordance with an agreement made between the Trustees and Government in 1996 and are now in operation.

The role of the Library is to protect, preserve and make available to the public in the form of exhibitions, popular publications, lectures and other events the heritage enshrined in the collections of the late Chester Beatty and to provide theworld of scholarship access to the internationally important resource. As abody relying principally on public funding, the Trust is obliged to pay particular attention to the needs of the general public and of the Irish public in particular.

The mandate ofthe Library might be narrowly defined as care and custody of the collection and benefiting the public in modest and indirect ways.

This, however, would be contrary to the spirit of the founder and to the need to reflect the vital public contribution to the Library's future. The mandate of the Library encompasses all those things which it may do to add to the public value of the collections by way of exhibition, education, promoting pride in the collections and understanding between cultures and traditions represented in them.

The purpose of the Library, having regard to its duty of care, is therefore to contribute new value to the cultural life of Ireland at home and in its relations with peoples and cultures everywhere.

The Chester Beatty Library is situated in the gardens of Dublin Castle inthe heart of the city centre.

Official Website Here

The Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings of Ferdowsi translated by Dick Davis with and Introduction by Azar Nafisi

Recommended Readings:

Tajik director Boris Kimyagarov's 1971 Epic « The Timeless Legend of Rostamand Sohrab » by Darius KADIVAR

Rostam Strikes Back ! by Darius KADIVAR

RostamSuper Hero: Popularizing A Persian Myth... byDarius KADIVAR

Rostam: The Dark Ages by Darius KADIVAR

Recommended Watching:

ROYALTY ON SCREEN: Boris Kimyagarov's "Timeless Legend of Rostam & Sohrab"

Related Blogs:

Words For Eternity ...

BEYOND WORDS: Group Reading of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh

Constitutionalist's Critics of Shamlou's deemed 'Insults' towards Ferdowsi's Shahnameh

Rostam and Esfandyar, tales from the Shahnameh at Tehran's City Theater Complex

Share/Save/Bookmark

more from Darius Kadivar