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| 1001 PERSIAN-ENGLISH PROVERBS : Learning Language & Culture Through Commonly Used Sayings, 3rd Edition [Simin K Habibian] { 280pp, 155x230mm, January 2002; PB, £11.99, 1588140210:9781588140210 , IBEX Publishers } |
| 600 MULLA NASREDDIN TALES [Mohammad Ramazani] Text in Arabic. { 224pp, 140x215mm, July 2004; PB, £13.50, 0936347090:9780936347097 , IBEX Publishers } |
| ADVENTURES OF HAJJI BABA [James Juatinian Morier] 1925. Whenever Hajji Baba travelled with the English, he observed them record their observations in books; and when they return home, thus make their fellow countrymen acquainted with the most distant regions of the globe. As a Persian, Hajji Baba followed their example; and during the period of his residence at Constantinople, he passed his time writing a detailed history of his life, which, although that of a very obscure and ordinary individual, is still so full of vicissitude and adventure that he thinks it would not fail to create an interest if published in Europe. This is his story. { 400pp, 155x230mm, October 2008; PB, £16.99, 0936347813:9780936347813 , IBEX Publishers } |
| ALAM DIARIES, VOLUME 4 [Asadollah Alam; Edited by Alinaghi Alikhani] Text in Persian. The Diaries of Assadollah Alam are probably the most important document about the inner workings of the Mohammad Reza Pahlavi period. This is the complete unabridged work. A summary English translation was published in 1992. { 540pp, 155x230mm, January 2000; HB, £26.99, 0936347066:9780936347066 , IBEX Publishers } |
| ALAM DIARIES, VOLUME 5 [Asadollah Alam; Edited by Alinaghi Alikhani] The Diaries of Assadollah Alam are probably the most important document about the inner workings of the Mohammad Reza Pahlavi period. This is the complete unabridged work. A summary English translation was published in 1992. { 512pp, 155x230mm, January 1994; HB, £26.99, 1588140229:9781588140227 , IBEX Publishers } |
| ALAM DIARIES : Volume 6: 1355-1356 / 1976/1977 [Assadollah Alam; Edited by Alinaghi Alikhani] Text in Persian. The Diaries of Assadollah Alam are probably the most important document about the inner workings of the Mohammad Reza Pahlavi period. This is the complete unabridged work. A summary English translation was published in 1992. { 560pp, 155x230mm, January 2007; HB, £26.99, 1588140415:9781588140418 , IBEX Publishers } |
| ALETHOPHOBIA : Fear of Truth [Manoucher Parvin] "Alethophobia" revolves around the life of the Iranian-born Professor Pirooz who lives mostly in his own imagination; he is everywhere and yet he is nowhere. He dissimulates and dissimulates, yet loses control of himself and speaks his mind -- in spite of his efforts -- at all costs. He is a whistle blower with a broken whistle and a broken heart and a broken existence. What is the use of being a Professor if you cannot profess and, worse yet, have to pay lip service to academic freedom in order not to be marginalised? "Alethophobia" is eventful, witty and insightful. It is a real story that appears as surreal. How could such events occur on a tranquil university campus in America? How could the love of a gorgeous policewoman and a wondering scientist take root and blossom in such inhospitable soil? The story has many stunning turns and twists inducing laughter and tears. { 330pp, 140x215mm, November 2007; PB, £11.99, 1588140474:9781588140470 , Ibex Publishers } |
| ASEMUN RISMUN [Iraj Pezeshkzad] Text in Persian. Satire by the author of Uncle Napoleon. { 304pp, 140x215mm, January 1997; PB, £12.50, 0936347791:9780936347790 , IBEX Publishers } |
| ATHEISM IN THE MEDIEVAL ISLAMIC & EUROPEAN WORLD : The Influence of Persian & Arabic Ideas of Doubt & Skepticism on Medieval European Literary Thought [Fatemah Chehregosha Azinfar] Did God exist a thousand years ago? This book discusses and analyses the origins of questioning God and Religion in Medieval Middle Eastern and European literature and thought. Author Fatemeh Azinfar analyses two medieval texts from the Middle East, "A Thousand and One Nights" and "Vis and Ramin", both of which question God's existence and actions. Europeans such as Dante, Abelard, Chaucer, the author of Chanson de Roland, and the author of "The Pearl" poem are shown to have asked similar questions. Azinfar argues that the European authors were influenced by the religious scepticism inherent in medieval Middle Eastern texts. The roots of the ideas of rationalism, existentialism, surrealism, and feminism are traced from the Islamic world to the medieval West. Azin-far shows that a period most view as steeped in religious dogmatism was actually an analytical era, rooted in rationality, scientific advancement, and scepticism. Tales of questing knights who rescue damsels also con-tain theories that question traditional views on religion, the possibility of the existence of a physical world, and nihilism. { 271pp, 155x230mm, December 2007; HB, £53.50, 1588140512:9781588140517 , Ibex Publishers } |
| AVICENNA & I : The Journey of Spirits [Manoucher Parvin] "Avicenna and I" is a love saga spanning here and the hereafter; it is a journey of spirits toward immortality. Together two lovers explore the city of Hamadan in north-west of Iran, one of the oldest residences of civilisation, where the tomb of one of history's most remarkable thinkers, Avicenna, lies. To ascend from what they are to what they dream to be, the lovers seek and find the spirit of Avicenna. From him-the prince of medicine and the leading wise man-they learn how to heal the body, the mind, the spirit and even love, and how to tend to a wounded nature. They discover the path to immortality. "Avicenna and I" strips history naked of its pretensions and shatters the myth of the East as a place of unreason-deserving to be subjugated by the West -- and establishes that the Italian Renaissance was merely a continuation of the Persian Renaissance which occurred in the Golden Era of Avicenna. In this unforgettable novel the future and the past recreate one another and set the present afire with passion for immortal wisdom, and immortal love and truth. The reader is invited to view the mind and the universe, intuition and reason, science and faith, and life and death with a profoundly new understanding. The trials and tribulations of the characters, even history, on their transcendental journey are recounted with a pen searching for the beginning and the end of everything -- for the answers God never created. So humans must invent the answers as we have invented many things God did not create. This novel is a chapter in the book of answers. { 268pp, 155x230mm, December 2006; PB, £18.99, 1588140482:9781588140487 , IBEX Publishers } |
| COLLECTED ARTICLES OF BADRI ATABAI : Published in Persian Language Publications Outside of Iran [Bardi Atabai] Text in Persian. { 368pp, 155x230mm, January 1995; PB, £10.99, 0936347732:9780936347738 , IBEX Publishers } |
| DICTIONARY OF COMMON PERSIAN & ENGLISH VERBS : with Synonyms & Examples [Hooshang Amuzegar] Contains over 10,000 verbs; Gives Persian and English equivalents; Will be of invaluable assistance to students of Persian at all levels. It is suitable for those taking a formal course of instruction as well as those teaching themselves; This volume satisfies the need for a modern study aid for students of the Persian language which has, so far, not been met by the currently available reference works. { 308pp, 155x230mm, September 2005; £23.50, 158814030X:9781588140302 , IBEX Publishers } |
| DIRUZ VA FARDA / YESTERDAY & TOMORROW : Three Essays on Revolutionary Iran [Daryoush Homayoun] Text in Persian. { 156pp, 155x230mm, January 2001; PB, £6.99, 1588140016:9781588140012 , IBEX Publishers } |
| DIVAN-I-HAFIZ [H Wilberforce Clarke, Translator] The DIVAN-I HAFIZ is a complete verbatim translation of all of Hafez's ghazals, rubaiyats, qita'at, masnavi, the saqinameh, the moghaninameh, qasaid, and mokhamas. It includes a biography of the poet, description of other translations, index of the personages in the poems, index of the figures of speech used, and copious notes on practically every line in the poems based on Sudi's well known Turkish commentary. This new edition includes a new introduction by Michael C Hillmann, a Hafez scholar, which surveys: other English translations, Wilberforce-Clarke's translation, the life of Hafez and the historical and literary characteristics of the ghazal. Also added to this new edition is a table which gives the correspondence between the numbers given to the poems in Clarke's translation and the recent Persian language editions of the divan of Khanlari and of Ghazvini and Ghani. Also added to this new edition is a table matching the English translations with the original Persian in the editions Ghazvini and Ghani and of Khanlari. Clarke's word for word translation and its copious notes explaining almost everything make it very suitable for the English speaking student of Hafez who is attempting to learn the Persian. The DIVAN-I HAFIZ has been used extensively by later translators of Hafez. The collection includes 693 translations. { 1011pp, 155x230mm, January 1997; HB, £99.99, 0936347805:9780936347806 , IBEX Publishers } |
| DYNAMICS OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS [Mehdi Heravi PhD] International relations is a broad and ever-expanding field, covering all sorts of social practices that cross borders. This discussion will provide an in-depth introduction to a number of topics. To begin, though, it is important to lay out the major analytical approaches that have come to define the discipline of international relations. One of the earliest lessons within the discipline was that the way one looks at things, the theoretical lens one employs to analyse phenomena, determines much of what one sees. The world is a complex place, and it is impossible to understand and discuss it is in its totality -- any analysis necessarily requires some sort of simplification and abstraction to make sense of things. Theories are one way to do this, each privileging certain things. { 224pp, 155x230mm, September 2005; HB, £22.99, 1588140407:9781588140401 , IBEX Publishers } |
| ENGLISH-PERSIAN DICTIONARY [Ariush B Gilani] Includes approximately 22,000 entries. The Persian (Farsi) equivalents are also written in English letters for those unable to read Persian script. It provides the Persian equivalent rather than a descriptive meaning of the English word. The pronunciation of the Persian rather than the English is emphasised. { 640pp, 140x225mm, January 1999; HB, £23.50, 0936347953:9780936347950 , IBEX Publishers } |
| EPIC OF KINGS : Hero Tales of Ancient Persia [Zimmern] For ages 9-12. { 333pp, October 2008; PB, £16.99, 0936347112:9780936347110 , IBEX Publishers } |
| EYE OF AN ANT : Persian Proverbs & Poems [Fatollah Akbar] The Eye of an Ant is a collection of 282 short epithets translated into English rhyme by Fatollah Akbar. Most of the sayings are traditional popular sayings. Poems from Rumi, Ferdowsi, Hafez, Sa‘di and Bahar are also included. REVIEW: "In times like these, every effort made to elucidate a facet of Iran's culture is both patriotic and worthy of praise..." -- M J Mahjoub, University of California, Berkeley. { 102pp, 140x215mm, January 1995; PB, £7.99, 0936347562:9780936347561 , IBEX Publishers } |
| FAR FROM HOME [Mehri Yalfani] Text in Persian. Story by well known novelist about Iranian immigrant women in Canada. { 312pp, 140x215mm, January 1998; PB, £9.99, 0936347872:9780936347875 , IBEX Publishers } |
| FROM DURHAM TO TEHRAN [Michael Craig Hillmann] From Durham to Tehran presents a Persian literature specialist's impressions and reflections on his field of study and profession, based on two research trips, one to Durham, England in 1986 and the other to Tehran, Iran in 1989. With a format of travel diary entries, the book intends to suggest issues which American students of non-Western literary cultures face in their professional lives. It highlights ambiguities which characterise the situations and experiences of American students of living non-Western literatures. Moreover, it suggests that involvement in an older non-Western literary culture impels the American to reflection on his or her own roots and cultural history. It includes memories of many notable literary figures including Jalal Al-e Ahmad, Ali Shariati and Sadeq Chubak. { 124pp, 140x215mm, January 1991; HB, £16.99, 093634718X:9780936347189 / PB, £9.99, 0936347198:9780936347196 , IBEX Publishers } |
| FUNCTION OF THE ORGASM [Wilhelm Reich] Text in Persian. Persian translation of well know psychological work by S Simonian. { 448pp, 155x230mm, January 1994; PB, £11.99, 0936347384:9780936347387 , IBEX Publishers } |
| GULISTAN (ROSE GARDEN) OF SA'DI : Bilingual English & Persian Edition with Vocabulary [Translated by Wheeler M Thackston] Text in English & Persian. Is the Gulistan the most influential book in the Iranian world? In terms of prose, it is the model, which all writers of Persian seek to emulate. In terms of moral, philosophical or practical wisdom, it is endlessly quoted to either illustrate or prove a point. Sir John Malcolm even relates being told that it is the basis of the law of the Persians. It also travelled abroad. Voltaire, Goethe, Arnold, Longfellow, Emerson, Thoreau, Melville, and Franklin discovered, read, and took inspiration from the work. Moreover, travelers to Iran have often point out that to understand the mind of the inhabitants, one should read the Gulistan. Written some seven and a half centuries ago by Sa'di of Shiraz the Gulistan or Rose Garden is a collection of moral stories divided into eight themes: "The Conduct of Kings", "The Character of Dervishes", "The Superiority of Contentment", "The Benefits of Silence", "Love and Youth", "Feebleness and Old Age", "The Effects of Education", and "The Art of Conversation." In each section stories are told from which the reader learns how to behave in a given situation. Sa'di can be moral. "Honesty gives God pleasure. I haven't seen anyone get lost on the right road." He may be practical. "If you can't stand the sting, don't put your finger into a scorpion's hole." He is philosophical in these lines which are engraved at the entrance of the United Nations: "The members of the human race are limbs one to another, for at creation they were of one essence. When one limb is pained by fate, the others cannot rest." The Gulistan is considered the essence of elegant but simple Persian prose. For 600 years, it was the first book placed in the learner's hand. In Persian-speaking countries today, quotations from the Gulistan appear in every conceivable type of literature and is the source of numerous everyday proverbial statements, much as Shakespeare is in English. This is the first complete English translation of the Gulistan in more than a century. Wheeler M. Thackston, Professor of Persian at Harvard University, has faithfully translated Sa'di into clear contemporary English. To help the student, the original Persian is presented facing the English translation. A 3,600 word Persian-English and Arabic-English glossary is included to aide with the more difficult meanings. The Gulistan is imbued with a practical wisdom of life. Sa'di recognizes people for what they are. Every personality type that exists is found in the Rose Garden, the good, the bad, the weak, the strong, the pious, the impious, honest folk, and the most conniving of cheats. Hypocrites abound, foolish kings appear with their wily ministers, wise rulers vie with their malevolent courtiers, boastful young warriors turn tail and run. The beauty of Sa'di's wisdom is that it is timeless. What is expressed is in a setting so close and familiar to the modern experience that it is as relevant today as it was six hundred years ago. { 253pp, 155x230mm, March 2008; HB, £39.99, 158814058X:9781588140586 , Ibex Publishers } |
| HAFEZ POEMS OF GERTRUDE BELL : with the Original Persian on the Facing Page REVIEW: "Miss Bells [translations] are true poetry of a very high order and, with perhaps the single exception of FitzGerald's paraphrase of the Quatrains of Omar Khayyam, are probably the finest and most truly poetical renderings of any Persian poet ever produced in the English language..." -- Edward G Browne. "No book has been so reverenced, no poet so celebrated, and no verse so cherished as Hafez's ghazals. Auguries from his divan have decided the fates of individuals and empires, rebels and heretics as well as the pious have died with lines by Hafez on their lips, and religious and philosophic arguments have been won by apt quotation of a hemistich. Hafez sang a rare blend of human and mystic love so balanced, proportioned, and contrived with artful ease that it is impossible to separate the one from the other; and rhetorical artifice is so delicately woven into the fabric of wisdom and mysticism that it imparts a freshness to ideas..." -- Wheeler M Thackston. { 176pp, 140x215mm, January 1995; PB, £11.99, 0936347392:9780936347394 , IBEX Publishers } |
| HISTORY OF ISLAMIC ORIGINS OF WESTERN EDUCATION AD800-1350 : With an Introduction to Medieval Muslim Education [Mehdi Nakosteen] Nakosteen has drawn from German, Persian, Arabic, English, and French sources as well as his own understanding of the Eastern and Western cultures gained from living and studying in both. As a result, the reader can form an over-all picture of the contributions of Islamic scholarship to the Western world, particularly through the development of European universities during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Professor Nakosteen's major research examines the following basic questions: Through what channels and to what extent did classical scholarship -- Greco-Hellenistic, Syriac-Alexandrian, Zoroastrian, and Indian -- reach the Muslims? What cumulative and creative additions, modifications, or adaptations of this classical learning took place in the hands of Muslim scholars and schoolmen from the eighth through the eleventh centuries? Through what channels and to what extent did the results of classical scholarship so preserved, enriched, and enlarged by the Muslims reach the Western world, mainly during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries? Finally, what were some of the basic contributions of the transmission of Muslim learning to the expansion and reconstruction of the West European curriculum, particularly on levels of higher and professional education? { 361pp, 155x235mm, January 1963; HB, £33.50, 0936347325:9780936347325 , IBEX Publishers } |
| HOW TO SPEAK, READ & WRITE PERSIAN (FARSI) : Complete Course with 3 Cassettes [Amuzegar] How to speak, Read and Write Persian (FARSI) is a practical, quick and convenient method to learning the language of ninety million people. Whether one is planning to visit Iran, Afghanistan or Tajikestan, has friends who speak the language or is interested in the Persian language's rich literature, this book will help you. The course is divided into twenty simple, clear and concise lessons, which include all aspects of the spoken and written language. Grammar, pronunciation, spelling and helpful phrases are covered. How to Speak, Read and Write Persian can be used effectively as a self-teacher or as a textbook. An answer key is included in the back for those learning independently. How to speak, read and write Persian includes: 2,6000 word Persian-English dictionary; 3 ninety-minute audio-cassettes for pronunciation read by native speakers. No prior knowledge of Persian is necessary. { 285pp, 155x230mm, March 2003; PB, £39.99, 0936347058:9780936347059 , IBEX Publishers } |
| HISTORY OF LITERARY CRITICISM IN IRAN, 1866-1951 [Iraj Parsinejad] This book contains a comprehensive research on the works of leading figures in the field of literary criticism in modern Iranian thought of the nineteenth century: Mirza Fath Ali Akhundzade; Mirza Malkom Khan; Mirza Abd al-Rahim Talebof; and Zeyn al-Abedin Maraghe'i. Inclusion of Ahmad Kasravi and Sadeq Hedayat was considered appropriate later due to some common aspects of critical attitude to the predecessors. These critics who employed their thoughts and pens in the service of the masses criticized ignorance, injustice and despotism, and since they were experienced authorities on literature, they attacked the writers and poets whose works served despotism. These criticisms were the first seeds of modern literary criticism sown in the field of social and political life, which has helped the young tree of literary criticism to bear fruit. REVIEW: "Until recently, the history of literary criticism in Iran was a neglected area of inquiry. This book, which has been in preparation for many years, features a descriptive history of that crucial field in the latter part of the nineteenth and the early part of the twentieth centuries. It also includes biographies of several major literary critics, which gives it a secondary use as a source of information on the evolution of aesthetic norms in modern Iran..." -- Ahmad Karimi-Hakkak, Professor of Persian, University of Washington. { 352pp, 155x230mm, April 2003; HB, £39.99, 1588140164:9781588140166 , IBEX Publishers } |
| INTERRUPTIONS : Love, Chaos & Revolution in Iran: A Novel [Massud Alemi] High-school teacher Farzin Rouhani steps out of his house on the last day of spring of 1981.Walking under Tehran's sizzling midday sun, his stroll towards his lover's apart-ment is interrupted. His timing could not have been worse, for an unau-thorised opposition rally is in full swing which in turn provokes the retribu-tion of the government. Farzin is caught in the middle of the chains and clubs. His hopes for seeing his friend quickly evapo-rate. That is not all. He is mistaken as an organiser of the march and arrested. The arresting officer begins interrogating him in jail -- a process that spans the entire summer. His mission is to discover why Farzin despite a gov-ernment ban was where he was and what his role was at the rally. Farzin cannot reveal the truth because the penalty for being gay in the Islamic republic is death. { 304pp, 155x230mm, January 2007; HB, £16.99, 1588140490:9781588140494 , Ibex Publishers } |
| IN WINESELLER'S STREET : Renderings of Hafez [Thomas Rain Crowe] In Wineseller's Street is about hope. About a world seen through eyes that don't idolise individualism and separation. It reflects the human potential of living in a world of harmony and grace. No poet and no tradition does this better than Háfez. During a time of international political and religious chaos and violence, perhaps no other work is more essential to our survival and recovery. Here, Háfez is accessible, and in his accessibility, concise. Always the humble teacher, Háfez sits with us on the barstool in the town pub like a mirror, reflecting back our dreams. { 74pp, 140x215mm, January 1998; PB, £8.99, 0936347678:9780936347677 , IBEX Publishers } |
| INTRODUCTION TO KORANIC & CLASSICAL ARABIC [W M Thackston] An Introduction to Koranic and Classical Arabic is an elementary-level grammar of standard classical Arabic, the literary norm of the Arabic language that has not changed appreciably in fourteen hundred years. An indispensable tool for all who are interested in Islamic religion, science, and literature, the language presented in this book will enable the learner to study firsthand the primary sources of Islamic civilization and the classics of the Islamic Near East. REVIEW: "...the friendliest Western grammar of Arabic. Its grammatical explanations are lucid and concise, yet they provide a complete, adequate description of a basic grammar of Arabic. As a textbook, this work is particularly useful in programs where a reading proficiency of the Koran and hadith is desirable within a relatively short period of time... Overall, it is a very well designed book of basic grammar that can serve as a useful supplement for intermediate and advanced students of Arabic in various programs..." -- Mahdi Alosh, The Ohio State University, Modern Language Journal. { 327pp, 155x230mm, January 1995; PB, £29.99, 0936347406:9780936347400 / PB, £16.99, 0936347511:9780936347516 , IBEX Publishers } |
| INTRODUCTION TO PERSIAN [W M Thackston] REVIEW: "This long awaited text once more demonstrates Professor Thackston's mastery over the Persian language and its intricacies, both in its modern and classical form. Thackston makes Persian grammar clear and understandable. His emphasis is on the spoken and written language in today's Iran, on the Persian which is taught in schools and spoken and understood by all the different ethnic groups in Iran.This new edition is a major contribution for those involved in teaching the Persian language. It also makes the learning of Persian more accessible and enjoyable..." -- Haleh Esfandiari, Princeton University, Middle East Studies Association Bulletin. "...both meticulous and systematic, without being idiosyncratic..." -- Brian Spooner, University of Pennsylvania, AACAR Bulletin. { 288pp, 155x230mm, January 2000; PB, £29.99, 0936347295:9780936347295 , IBEX Publishers } |
| INTRODUCTION TO PERSIAN : 9-Cassette Set [W M Thackston] REVIEW: "This long awaited text once more demonstrates Professor Thackston's mastery over the Persian language and its intricacies, both in its modern and classical form. Thackston makes Persian grammar clear and understandable. His emphasis is on the spoken and written language in today's Iran, on the Persian which is taught in schools and spoken and understood by all the different ethnic groups in Iran.This new edition is a major contribution for those involved in teaching the Persian language. It also makes the learning of Persian more accessible and enjoyable..." -- Haleh Esfandiari, Princeton University, Middle East Studies Association Bulletin. "...both meticulous and systematic, without being idiosyncratic..." -- Brian Spooner, University of Pennsylvania, AACAR Bulletin. { January 1995; CA, £53.50, 0936347309:9780936347301 , IBEX Publishers } |
| INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC : Key to Exercises & English-Syriac Vocabulary [Deniel M Gurtner] Syriac is the Aramaic dialect of Edessa in Mesopotamia. Today it is the classical tongue of the Nestorians and Chaldeans of Iran and Iraq and the liturgical language of the Jacobites of Eastern Anatolia and the Maronites of Greater Syria. Syriac is also the language of the Church of St, Thomas on the Malabar Coast of India. Syriac belongs to the Levantine group of the central branch of the West Semitic languages. Syriac literature flourished from the third century on and boasts of writers like Ephraem Syrus, Aphraates, Jacob of Sarug, John of Ephesus, Jacob of Edessa, and Barhebraeus. After the Arab conquests, Syriac became the language of a tolerated but disenfranchised and diminishing community and began a long, slow decline both as a spoken tongue and as a literary medium in favour of Arabic. Syriac played an important role as the intermediary through which Greek learning passed to the Islamic world. Syriac translations also preserve much Middle Iranian wisdom literature that has been lost in the original. Here, the language is presented both in the Syriac script and in transcription, which is given so that the pronunciation of individual words and the structure of the language may be represented as clearly as possible. The majority of the sentences in the exercises -- and all of the readings in later lessons -- are taken directly from the P'itta, the Syriac translation of the Bible. Most students learn Syriac as an adjunct to biblical or theological studies and will be interested primarily in this text. Biblical passages also have the advantage of being familiar, to some degree or other, to most English-speaking students. For many of those whose interest in Syriac stems from Biblical studies or from the history of Eastern Christianity, Syriac may be their first Semitic language. Every effort has been made in the presentation of the grammar to keep the Semitic structure of the language in the forefront and as clear as possible for those who have no previous experience with languages of that family. Syriac is structurally perhaps the simplest of all the Semitic languages. A chart of correspondences among Arabic, Hebrew, and Syriac is given. { 114pp, 155x230mm, September 2006; PB, £16.99, 1588140458:9781588140456 , IBEX Publishers } |
| INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC [W M Thackston] Syriac is the Aramaic dialect of Edessa in Mesopotamia. Today it is the classical tongue of the Nestorians and Chaldeans of Iran and Iraq and the liturgical language of the Jacobites of Eastern Anatolia and the Maronites of Greater Syria. Syriac is also the language of the Church of St Thomas on the Malabar Coast of India. Syriac belongs to the Levantine group of the central branch of the West Semitic languages. Syriac played an important role as the intermediary through which Greek learning passed to the Islamic world. Syriac translations also preserve much Middle Iranian wisdom literature that has been lost in the original. Here, the language is presented both in the Syriac script and in transcription, which is given so that the pronunciation of individual words and the structure of the language may be represented as clearly as possible. The majority of the sentences in the exercises -- and all of the readings in later lessons -- are taken directly from the Pšitta, the Syriac translation of the Bible. Most students learn Syriac as an adjunct to biblical or theological studies and will be interested primarily in this text. Biblical passages also have the advantage of being familiar, to some degree or other, to most English speaking students. { 228pp, 155x230mm, January 1999; PB, £29.99, 0936347988:9780936347981 , IBEX Publishers } |
| IRAN : A Comprehensive Study of Socio-Economic Conditions [Z Heyat] { 406pp, 155x230mm, January 1985; PB, £8.99, 0936347333:9780936347332 , IBEX Publishers } |
| IRANIAN IN NINETEENTH CENTURY EUROPE : The Travel Diaries of Haj Sayyah 1859-1877 [Translated by Mehrbanoo Nasser Deyhim; Foreword by Peter Avery] After finishing his religious education and returning to his hometown of Muhâjirân Haj Sayyah realises that his family has plans for him to marry his cousin. Partly wanderlust, and partly to escape this, he sets off for what would be an eighteen year trip through Europe, America and the Orient. Haj Sayyah's diaries are unique. He travels through practically every country in Europe, where he gives detailed reports. Later, in separate trips he also visits America and the Far East. He was astonished to see how much the European countries had progressed and concluded that education, to which European nations paid so much attention, was the basis for their advancement. In spite of his religious training, Sayyâh had a positive attitude towards modern European customs. He mingled with people from all social classes and developed a fair understanding of their ideas; he saw that they were free to openly criticise their governments and religious authorities. He visited museums, schools, libraries, churches, factories, parks, zoological and botanical gardens, even prisons, and met some of the famous personalities of the time such as King George of Greece, Czar Alexander II of Russia, and King Leopold I. { 379pp, 155x235mm, January 1999; HB, £30.99, 0936347937:9780936347936 , IBEX Publishers } |
| KORAN [Hossein Kowsari (ed)] Text in Persian and Arabic. A very readable Persian language translation of the Koran. { 736pp, 155x230mm, January 2000; PB, £26.99, 0936347821:9780936347820 , IBEX Publishers } |
| LAW & POLITICS OF THE CASPIAN SEA IN THE 21ST CENTURY [Aqhai-Diba Bahman] The Caspian Sea has been the focus of states and peoples in and out of the area for the last decade. The surrounding states are interested in getting a decent share of the lake’s resources. The industrial states are interested in taking the oil, gas and other natural wealth of the Caspian Sea to world markets as soon as possible. The populations of the littoral states, which are all ruled by undemocratic regimes, are concerned with whether their governments will retain their just rights in the Caspian Sea. They realise that the highest priority for their current rulers is to keep their grip on power, not their nation’s present or future interests. How have the respective governments in Azerbaijan, the Federation of Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and especially, Iran, thought and acted in regard to the situation of the Caspian Sea and their interests? The issue has a special reference to Iran because it is experiencing a terrible situation in regard to the Caspian Sea due to the poor management of its foreign policy and international relations. Iran will end up with the smallest share of the Caspian Sea, whether it likes it or not. This is a serious setback for a country that once shared the Caspian Sea with the former Soviet Union. Iran’s mismanagement of its Caspian Sea rights is a political and diplomatic lesson in what not to do. This book gives everyone, even those without legal or political backgrounds in this issue, an opportunity to survey the facts and history; and to analyse the legal and political realities of the present political situation of the world’s largest lake. { 192pp, April 2003; HB, £29.99, 158814027X:9781588140272 , IBEX Publishers } |
| LETTER TO THE WORLD [Esma'il Fassih] Text in Persian. { 272pp, 140x215mm, January 1995; PB, £10.99, 0936347546:9780936347547 , IBEX Publishers } |
| LITERARY HISTORY OF PERSIA, VOLUME 1 : From Earliest Times until Firdwasi (to 1000 AD) [Edward G Browne] The classic work on the subject, A Literary History of Persia is still the standard work in the English language on Persia and her literature. It spans four volumes (2,256 pages) and took about twenty-five years to write. Although it concentrates on Persian literature, it also surveys all aspects of Persian culture from Iranian pre-history to the twentieth century. The remarkable freshness and liveliness of Browne's prose will astonish readers. In addition to being a work of reference it is book which may be read strictly for pleasure. J T P De Bruijn's new introduction surveys the history, significance and continued value of the work. { 521pp, 155x230mm, January 1997; HB, £53.50, 0936347627:9780936347622 , IBEX Publishers } |
| LITERARY HISTORY OF PERSIA, VOLUME 2 : From Firdwasi to Sa'di (1000-1290) [Edward G Browne] The classic work on the subject, A Literary History of Persia is still the standard work in the English language on Persia and her literature. It spans four volumes (2,256 pages) and took about twenty-five years to write. Although it concentrates on Persian literature, it also surveys all aspects of Persian culture from Iranian pre-history to the twentieth century. The remarkable freshness and liveliness of Browne's prose will astonish readers. In addition to being a work of reference it is book which may be read strictly for pleasure. J T P De Bruijn's new introduction surveys the history, significance and continued value of the work. { 568pp, 155x230mm, January 2000; HB, £53.50, 0936347635:9780936347639 , IBEX Publishers } |
| LITERARY HISTORY OF PERSIA, VOLUME 3 : The Tartar Dominion (1265-1502) [Edward G Browne] The classic work on the subject, A Literary History of Persia is still the standard work in the English language on Persia and her literature. It spans four volumes (2,256 pages) and took about twenty-five years to write. Although it concentrates on Persian literature, it also surveys all aspects of Persian culture from Iranian pre-history to the twentieth century. The remarkable freshness and liveliness of Browne's prose will astonish readers. In addition to being a work of reference it is book which may be read strictly for pleasure. J.T.P. De Bruijn's new introduction surveys the history, significance and continued value of the work. REVIEW: "...this work.could in the eyes of the Anglo-Saxon world with full right be judged and evaluated as a standard work..." -- Franz Babinger. { 586pp, 155x230mm, January 1997; HB, £53.50, 0936347643:9780936347646 , IBEX Publishers } |
| LITERARY HISTORY OF PERSIA, VOLUME 4 : Modern Times (1500-1924) [Edward G Browne] The classic work on the subject, A Literary History of Persia is still the standard work in the English language on Persia and her literature. It spans four volumes (2,256 pages) and took about twenty-five years to write. Although it concentrates on Persian literature, it also surveys all aspects of Persian culture from Iranian pre-history to the twentieth century. The remarkable freshness and liveliness of Browne's prose will astonish readers. In addition to being a work of reference it is book which may be read strictly for pleasure. J.T.P. De Bruijn's new introduction surveys the history, significance and continued value of the work. REVIEW: "...this work.could in the eyes of the Anglo-Saxon world with full right be judged and evaluated as a standard work..." -- Franz Babinger. { 530pp, 155x230mm, January 2000; HB, £53.50, 0936347651:9780936347653 , IBEX Publishers } |
| LITERARY HISTORY OF PERSIA, VOLUMES 1-4 [Edward G Browne] The classic work on the subject, A Literary History of Persia is still the standard work in the English language on Persia and her literature. It spans four volumes (2256 pages) and took about twenty-five years to write. Although it concentrates on Persian literature, it also surveys all aspects of Persian culture from Iranian pre-history to the twentieth century. The remarkable freshness and liveliness of Browne's prose will astonish readers. In addition to being a work of reference it is book which may be read strictly for pleasure. J T P De Bruijn's new introduction surveys the history, significance and continued value of the work. REVIEW: "this work... could in the eyes of the Anglo-Saxon world with full right be judged and evaluated as a standard work..." -- Franz Babinger. { 2256pp, January 1997; HB, £183.50, 093634766X:9780936347660 , IBEX Publishers } |
| LITTLE BLACK FISH [Samad Behrangi] The English translation and original Persian text of Little Black Fish is one of the most well known modern Persian children's story. Upon its original publication this story won prizes at the Bologna and Bratislava children's books fairs. On the surface this story is about a little black fish who wanders out of his neighborhood and encounters various adventures and dangers, which he overcomes. On a different level it can be read as the human journey from childhood to adulthood. { 64pp, 155x230mm, January 1997; PB, £8.50, 0936347783:9780936347783 , IBEX Publishers } |
| LOVE POEMS OF SHAMLU [Firoozeh Papan-Matin; Poems translated by Firoozeh Papan-Matin & Arthur Lane] Incorporates poems that trace the development of the relationship among the lover, the beloved, and love, in Shamlu's poetry. The selection includes poems that go back to the beginning of Shamlu's career when he was still experimenting with language and style in search of his own poetic voice. The chapters preceding the poems in translation, provide some insight into the life of Shamlu as well as his poetry. This work has valuable scholarly and pedagogic implications. While it is a contribution to the scholarship on the work of Shamlu, it also provides a concise translated collection that can be useful for students of Persian language and literature. This work can also serve as a textbook for courses in comparative and Persian literatures. Considering the growing interest in Persian poetry during the recent years, this book will further be of interest for audiences beyond speakers of Persian. Keeping these points in mind, Arthur Lane and Firoozeh Papan-Matin have translated the poems such that any reader, regardless of their language background, could grasp the original intent of the poetry and experience it as would a reader of Persian. The methodology has been to follow the original poetry as far as possible; where this proved awkward or obscure the translators have been guided by the rhythms and idiomatic usages of Modern English. Consequently a reader who is not familiar with the Persian language and its cultural intricacies will be nonetheless equipped to appreciate this poetry and its sublime qualities. { 187pp, 155x230mm, December 2005; £32.99, 1588140377:9781588140371 , IBEX Publishers } |
| MEMOIRS OF ARDESHIR ZAHEDI [Ardeshir Zahedi] Text in Persian. { 317pp, 155x230mm, June 2006; PB, £23.50, 1588140385:9781588140388 , IBEX Publishers } |
| MILLENIUM OF CLASSICAL PERSIAN POETRY : A Guide to Reading & understanding of Persian Poetry from the Tenth to the Twentieth Century [W M Thackston] A Millennium of Classical Persian Poetry is designed to introduce students of Pesian to the richness of the classical poetic legacy. The Persian metrical system and poetic forms are explained, and selections are given from the works of all major poets, from Rudaki in the tenth century to Bahar in the twentieth, with annotations of difficult grammatical constructions and unfamiliar allusions. Highlights include poetry by Firdawsi, Farrukhi, Anvari, Khaqani, Nizami, Attar, Rumi, Sa'di, Hafiz, Jami, Sa'ib, and a host of lesser-known poets. A full Persian-English vocabulary is included. REVIEW: "Presents an attractive selection of poetry covering a thousand years..." -- William L Hanaway, University of Pennsylvania, Middle East Studies Association Bulletin. { 186pp, 155x230mm, January 1994; PB, £22.99, 0936347503:9780936347509 , IBEX Publishers } |
| MISSION FOR PEACE : Point 4 in Iran [William E Warne] The recollections of the head of Truman's Point 4 Program in Iran (1952-1955) which became a focal point of the Mosaddegh government. Many important future Iranian politicians were involved in the program. { 330pp, 140x215mm, January 1999; HB, £19.99, 0936347848:9780936347844 , IBEX Publishers } |
| MODERN PERSIAN PROSE LITERATURE [Hassan Kamshad] This is a study of the prose literature written in Persia since the end of the nineteenth century, and it is comprehensive and self contained. It begins with a historical survey of the whole range of Persian prose writing and includes a general account of the social and political background of the works. { 226pp, 140x215mm, January 1996; PB, £19.99, 0936347724:9780936347721 , IBEX Publishers } |
| MOSSADEGH & THE FUTURE OF IRAN [Houshang Keshavarz Sadr & Hamid Akbari (eds)] Text in Persian. This is a collection of articles from a Conference with the same name, which was held in 3-6 May 2001, in commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of Dr Mohammad Mossadegh’s Government (1951-1953) in Iran, at North-Eastern Illinois University, Chicago, Illinois. { 432pp, 155x230mm, May 2004; HB, £19.99, 1588140261:9781588140265 , IBEX Publishers } |
| PERSIAN BABY NAME BOOK (ENGLISH) [Parvaneh Shirzad] Includes about 3000 girls and boys names used in Iran and Afghanistan. The names and meanings are given in English for spouses and second generation Iranian and Afghan immigrants who cannot read Persian (Farsi). { 250pp, 155x230mm, March 2009; PB, £19.50, 1588140032:9781588140036 , IBEX Publishers } |
| PERSIAN COOKING : A Table of Exotic Delights [Nesta Ramazani] The oldest cuisine known to man, Persian cooking is based on lamb, fruits, vegetables and grains, used in subtle and varied combinations. The food is neither highly spiced nor hot but seasoned with herbs. It is very nutritious and very economical requiring minimum amounts of meat. Many dishes are easy to prepare ahead of time and well suited to reheating. As Mrs Ramazani writes: Here is a culinary art so highly developed that the most lowly vegetable can taste divine, every meal can be a gastronomic treat, every cook a creative artist. { 296pp, 155x230mm, January 1997; PB, £11.99, 0936347775:9780936347776 , IBEX Publishers } |
| PERSIAN HANDWRITING [Mehdi Marashi] Persian Handwriting (book and interactive CD set) is designed to introduce the Persian script to students whose native languages are written in the Latin alphabet. This systematic approach is presented in step-by-step instructions for copying the standard written style of the language. Models are provided to help students learn how to recognise and mimic the relative size and shape of letters and words. Legibility in Persian handwriting is the main instructional objective of "Persian Handwriting". Elements of legible writing are described and illustrated in various exercises and contexts. The text calls the students' attention to correct letter formation, consistency in the spacing of letters and words, good alignment, and other characteristics of the script conforming to generally accepted practices and rules for writing the language. The introductory chapters are intended to give the reader some background information on the history and development of the writing systems employed in recording the Persian language. The subsequent chapters provide explanations of the techniques and procedures of writing Persian, accompanied by various types of writing exercises. { 240pp, 140x215mm, January 2003; PB, £29.99, 1588140008:9781588140005 , IBEX Publishers } |
| PERSIAN READER : Teacher's Manual [Lily Ayman] { 88pp, 185x240mm, January 1998; PB, £11.99, 0936347368:9780936347363 , IBEX Publishers } |
| PERSIAN READER : Book One [Lily Ayman] { 104pp, 185x240mm, January 1994; PB, £8.99, 0936347341:9780936347349 , IBEX Publishers } |
| PERSIAN STUDIES IN NORTH AMERICA : Studies in Honor of Mohammad Ali Jazayery [Mehdi Marashi (ed)] Thirty-two articles by leading scholars on the state of the study of Persian literature. Four of the articles are in Persian. These articles were dedicated to Professor Mohammad Ali Jazayery upon his retirement. { 576pp, 155x230mm, January 1994; HB, £53.50, 093634735X:9780936347356 , IBEX Publishers } |
| PERSIAN TALES [D L R Lorimer (ed)] Included in this collection of traditional tales are such titles as: The prince and the peri; The sad tale of the mouse's tail; The seven daughters; and The baker and the grateful fish. { 360pp, 155x230mm, October 2008; PB, £18.99, 0936347910:9780936347912 , IBEX Publishers } |
| PERSIAN-ENGLISH ENGLISH-PERSIAN LEARNER'S DICTIONARY [Yavar Dehghani] The increasing popularity of the study of Persian (also known as Farsi, Tajiki or Dari) in the English speaking world, has created a need for a bi-directional Persian-English dictionary geared towards English speakers who are learning Persian. The features of the Persian-English / English-Persian Learner's Dictionary which make it unique are: Bi-directional: This is the first and only Persian-English/English-Persian dictionary in one volume which features both Persian and transliteration. Alphabet: The alphabet used in Persian is completely different from the English. This can be a major barrier in the early stages of learning the language. This dictionary provides a simple transliteration of the Persian word along with its equivalent in the Persian alphabet. Alphabetical order: In this dictionary, the alphabetical order in the Persian-English section is based on the English spelling. This makes it easy for the user who is not familiar with the Persian alphabet to find a word. Correct use of words: This dictionary gives synonyms in various contexts allowing the student to easily choose the correct meaning. Entries: Approximately 18,000 entries covering both day-to-day and more specialised vocabulary. The Audience for this dictionary is: English speaking students of Persian. English speakers who are seeking to communicate with Persian speakers. Children of Iranians, Afghans and Tajiks outside their homeland who wish to learn their mother language. Persian speakers who wish to learn English. { 317pp, 140x215mm, March 2006; £16.99, 1588140342:9781588140340 , IBEX Publishers } |
| PERSIANS [Aeshylus] Persian language translation of Aeschylus' classic play about the Persian army's defeat. { 72pp, 155x230mm, January 1998; PB, £6.99, 0936347856:9780936347851 , IBEX Publishers } |
| POEMS OF HAFEZ [Hafez; Translated & introduced by Reza Ordoubadian; Foreword by Shahriar Zangeneh] Shamseddin Hafez, although born some six hundred years ago in southern Iran, is a contemporary and universal poet. Wherever Persian is known, he is easily recited by both King and common man. Even illiterates will recite a memorized verse of Hafez. Those uncertain about love, the future or any other situation, open a page of his collection of Poems at random and in it see their dilemmas untangled. His turn of phrase has enriched the Persian lexicon and, even more than Shakespeare in English, has entered everyday language. This has made him the Persian culture’s most read, quoted and revered figure. His verse not only gives a panoramic insight into the culture of Persia but also window into understanding the universal soul. 202 of Hafez's ghazals have been translated in manner where the melody and the sense of the original still remains. The pages of this edition are in the uncut format. { April 2006; £14.99, 1588140199:9781588140197 , IBEX Publishers } |
| POLITICAL LIFE OF MOSSADEGH (ENGLISH EDITION) [F Rouhani] { January 2009; HB, £39.99, 0936347961:9780936347967 / HB, £39.99, 0936347864:9780936347868 , IBEX Publishers } |
| PSYCHOLOGICAL INTERPRETATIONS OF ALL ASPECTS OF LOVE IN PERSIAN LITERATURE [D Zaman Zadeh] { 672pp, 155x230mm, January 1994; HB, £29.99, 093634752X:9780936347523 , IBEX Publishers } |
| RUBAIYAT OF OMAR KHAYYAM : English & Persian [Edward Fitzgerald] { 104pp, 140x215mm, October 2008; PB, £10.99, 0936347600:9780936347608 , IBEX Publishers } |
| SELECTED POEMS FROM DIVAN-E SHAMS-E TABRIZI [Jalaluddin Rumi; Edited by R A Nicholson] RUMI at the age of thirty-seven meets SHAMS TABRIZI (the sun of Tabriz) "a weird figure wrapped in coarse black felt, who flits across the stage for a moment and disappears tragically enough." Shams has variously been described as: being extremely ugly; a most disgusting cynic; and exceedingly aggressive with a domineering manner. Jalaluddin, who until then had no interest or liking for poetry "found in the stranger that perfect image of the Divine Beloved which he had long been seeking. He took him away to his house, and for a year or two they remained inseparable. Rumi's pupils resented their teacher's preoccupation with the eccentric stranger, and vilified and intrigued against him until Shams fled to Damascus. Rumi sent his son to bring him back; but the tongues of his jealous traducers soon wagged again, and in 1247, the man of mystery vanished without leaving a trace behind." Nicholson has selected his favourites from Rumi's love poems and translated them into English along with the original Persian. { 368pp, 125x175mm, January 2001; PB, £13.50, 0936347619:9780936347615 , IBEX Publishers } |
| SHI'ISM VERSUS MODERNISM : The Role of the Clergy in Iran's National Movement [Mehdi Ghassemi] Text in Persian. The role of the clergy in relation to progress since the advent of Islam by well-known political analyst. { 288pp, 155x230mm, January 1999; PB, £13.50, 0936347740:9780936347745 , IBEX Publishers } |
| SUNFLOWER [Firouz Hejazi] Text in Persian. Four neorealistic short stories in Persian by a new Iranian writer. The stories are entitled: Gol-e aftab gardan; Az daricheh-ye vojdan falsafi; Ta shahr-e goharin; Ruzhayi az madresseh. { 96pp, 140x215mm, January 1990; PB, £4.99, 0936347163:9780936347165 , IBEX Publishers } |
| TALES OF NASREDDIN KHOJA : 181 Mulla Nasreddin Stories [Henry D Barnham] Mulla Nasreddin, as he is known the Persian speaking world, is a humorous witty character that goes by different names in different cultures. Iranians, Arabs and Turks still bicker about who he was and where he was from. Though Mulla Nasreddin originated in the Middle East half a millennia ago, the popularity of his stories is such that they have travelled and settled down in places as diverse as China, Russia, Sweden, India, Malaysia, the Balkans and Portugal. What can be said is that the Mulla is a universal character on which are framed various humorous, philosophical, moral or pedagogic anecdotes. The main players of these whimsical vignettes are the Mulla, his donkey and his wife. A Mulla Nasreddin anecdote is often used to emphasise a point. Most may read a funny story. However, in the same tale, a Sufi may see multiple strands of mystic meaning and a revolutionary will see the idea of resistance to authority. Depending on the reader and the time, Nasreddin may be more of a wise man, a jester, a rebel or a philosopher. The stories of the Mulla have passed by word of mouth from generation to generation for centuries, during which they have been added to, polished or changed with the period and circumstances. They were probably first written down some time in the nineteenth century. Here is a collection of 181 of the funniest and best known Mulla Nasreddin stories. { 256pp, 100x165mm, June 2006; PB, £9.99, 0936347694:9780936347691 , IBEX Publishers } |
| THAT STRANGER WITHIN ME [Shokooh Mirzadegi] REVIEW: "She has done it again! The magic of mixing ordinary with extraordinary, detective story and psychological surreal, is working here with power and authority. This is the skill of turning a best-seller into a work of art..." -- Hannaneh Nimrouz. "Luba is believable and loveable. Her presence, as the central figure of the book, and her life give the story a plausible historical itinerary composed of different roles and anecdotes created by the Iranian Revolution!" -- Navak Nasim, Nameh ye Kanoon. { 191pp, 140x215mm, January 2002; PB, £11.50, 093634783X:9780936347837 , IBEX Publishers } |
| THOUSAND YEARS OF PERSONAL RUBAIYAT : An Anthology of Quatrains from the Tenth to the Twentieth Century Along with the Original Persian [Reza Saberi] Reza Saberi translates over 1,500 quatrains from more than one hundred Iranian poets since the tenth century. In addition to the quatrains of better known poets such as Hafez, Sa'di, Rumi and Khayyam many of the poets and their poems have been translated into English for the first time. A rub is a poem in four lines, which is complete in itself and expresses a single feeling or thought in a very concise and elegant language. Their subjects include divine love, the ecstasy of love, mystical knowledge, and the nature of life and existence. The tradition of sufism, the Irano-Islamic mysticism that advocates the oneness and wholeness of all things and the unity of existence (vahdate vjud), is conveyed in the majority of the poems. Reza Saberi has tried to be as faithful to the original text as is possible in English. His translation can be of special interest for speakers of Persian who try to communicate the sense of beauty of their poetry in the English language. The bilingual format is also very useful for students of Persian language and literature. { 592pp, 155x230mm, January 2001; PB, £22.99, 1588140024:9781588140029 , IBEX Publishers } |
| TREASURY OF IRANIAN FINE ARTS [Badri Atabai] A Bibliography of the treasures of the Golestan Imperial Library collection by it's last head librarian. { 412pp, 155x230mm, January 1998; HB, £53.50, 0936347686:9780936347684 , IBEX Publishers } |
| VALE OF TEARS : A Novel from Haiti [Paulette Poujol Oriol; Translated by Dolores A Schaefer; Foreword by Edwidge Danticat] A work of fiction, most of Vale of Tears takes place in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, where the book's protagonist, Coralie, is trying to scrounge up enough money during the New Year holiday to pay her rent. Part of the book is set in France, where Coralie spent part of World War 2. Through 14 chapters that alternate between the present and past and seem to correspond with Christ's passion, the reader learns how Coralie's fortunes have changed steadily for the worse from childhood to middle age, beginning when she had to endure the spite of her step-mother, a woman who eventually stole her inheritance and separated Coralie from her only child. From being a beautiful light-skinned woman who was happily married and prosperous at one time, Coralie eventually finds herself being forced to sell herself and live apart from her only child, as her fortunes begin to get worse. In the end, she finds herself reduced to begging for money from family members and acquaintances and washing clothes for prostitutes. { 204pp, 140x215mm, December 2005; £11.50, 1588140202:9781588140203 / £11.50, 1588140202:9781588140203 , IBEX Publishers } |