Shāhnāma

Visiting Scholars

Open House | Persian epic and the embedding of a song of lament, with Olga M. Davidson

We were pleased to welcome back Olga M. Davidson, Boston University, for a discussion on ‘Persian epic and the embedding of a song of lament’. The event took place on Thursday, September 19 at 11 a.m. EDT, and was recorded. You can watch the event on our YouTube channel, or in the frame below. In connection with this discussion, you might like to read her article “Women’s Lamentations and the… Read more

Visiting Scholars

Open House | From Homer to Ferdowsi, with Olga M. Davidson

We were delighted to welcome Olga M. Davidson for an Open House discussion when she talked about why she began studying Homeric epic but went on to study the Shāhnāma of Ferdowsi and its poetic world. About her book Poet and Hero in the Persian Book of Kings: Olga M. Davidson argues that….whenever the Shāhnāma was performed by the poet or by later practitioners of his poetry, the performer could… Read more