To mark Ferdowsi Commemoration Day and celebrate Persian language and literature, Central BookCity hosted an educational and analytical workshop entitled “A Day with Ferdowsi,” attended by readers and enthusiasts of Persian culture and literature.
The guest was Mohammadreza Farzam, a Shahnameh scholar, actor and former secretary of the Shahnameh Association. Beginning with the question, “Why do we read the Shahnameh, and why do we choose this work from the treasury of Persian literature?”, he discussed the epic’s singular place in preserving Iranian culture and identity.
Farzam then entered the mythic world of the Shahnameh, explaining the fundamental boundaries and distinctions between myth and legend. A defining feature of the workshop was its effort to bring classical ideas into the present: by connecting the epic’s characters with the concerns of people today, and drawing on examples from animation and modern storytelling, Farzam offered participants more immediate and practical ways of engaging with Iran’s national epic.
Participants read passages from the Shahnameh together, and several key words and concepts were considered from an etymological perspective. A high point was the mythical account of the Simorgh and the three feathers given to the family of Zal and Rostam. Farzam proposed that “the third feather has not yet been set alight and remains in the hands of the people of Iran”—a metaphor emphasising hope, resilience and cultural continuity that drew a particularly warm response from the audience.
Tags: BookCity, Central BookCity, Ferdowsi, Iranian Culture, shahnameh
