Poetics and Politics of Iran's National Epic, The Shahnameh

Mahmoud Omidsalar obtained his Ph.D. in Persian literature from the Department of Near Eastern Studies, University of California, Berkeley, where he also studied folklore under Alan Dundes. In addition to publishing many essays on Persian literature and folklore, he has also edited the 6th volume of the new critical edition of the Shāh-nāma, under the general editorship of Professors Khaleghi-Motlagh and Ehsan Yarshater. He has served on the editorial board of the Encyclopeadia Iranica since 1990, and was appointed to the Supreme Council of the Center for the Great Islamic Encyclopaedia (Tehran) in 2006. Together with Iraj Afshar, he edits the series Folia Medica Iranica and Persian Manuscripts in Facsimile. In 2004, the first volume of his collected English and Persian papers received the book of the year award of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance in Iran. His current project is a critical edition of the poem Garšāsp-nāma, which was composed in 1066 CE. Dr. Omidsalar is currently employed by the John F. Kennedy Memorial Library at California State University, Los Angeles.

Lecture in English

Part of the Bilingual Lecture Series

Cost : Free and Open to the Public

Sponsor(s): Center for Near Eastern Studies, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Amuzegar Chair in Iranian Studies Program of UCLA