The Little Persian Girl and Other SHort Stories

They arrested the woodcutter and carried him off to a public square in front of the prison. Then they locked his feet in the stocks and left him there. The woodcutter had to suffer the taunts and jeers of the passersby. Some people were kinder, though, and even threw him scraps of food. Now, that evening was Friday eve. As the sun set, the woodcutter cast his thoughts over all that had happened to him in the past weeks. All at once, he cried out. Just then, a packet of chickpeas and raisins landed by the woodcutter.

But he did see a beggar boy coming by. The boy sat down and gratefully took what was offered. As he ate, the woodcutter related everything that had happened, from when his daughter asked for date cakes, to when he was put in the stocks. I hope it has a happy ending. The beggar boy went on his way. She was about to step into the water when she saw the reflection of her necklace. She looked up into the tree—and there was the necklace itself, right where she had left it. By the end of the day, the woodcutter was free from the stocks, and his daughter was back in the palace.

And every Friday eve after that, the woodcutter always remembered to find someone in need, share what he had, and tell his tale of Mushkil Gusha. The custom of invoking Mushkil Gusha is practiced in Iran especially among traditional Muslim women. The tale is told each week on Friday eve, the beginning of the Muslim holy day. Along with telling the story goes the sharing of a special snack food with the poor. Sometimes called aajeel and sometimes nokhod kishmish, it is a mixture of things like roasted chickpeas, raisins, dried dates, dried figs, nuts, and seeds.

If you ask Iranians, you get differing answers. Khidr is the Arabic name. The period when rulers of Iranian origin were in power was only a short interlude before the arrival of Turkish tribes from Central Asia. At first the Turks were military slaves to the Muslims, but soon they established their own dynasties. For centuries the Turks remained the dominating political force in Iranian lands and in Anatolia , where they laid the foundation for modern Turkey. They underwent a process of Islamization that was profoundly influenced by Persian civilization. As a part of this process, the Seljuqs copied the courtly traditions of their Iranian predecessors, including the patronage of poetry, which was considered to be most valuable for building up the prestige of kingship in the Iranian style.

His reputation as a court poet and as an accomplished musician and singer has survived, although little of his poetry has been preserved. Also during the 10th century, several attempts were made to produce a Persian version of the epic tradition that had already been incorporated into Arabic historiography. It is a mixture of myth , legend , and history, some of which can be traced back to the Avesta and the Vedic literature of India see Vedic religion.

Told by Aaron Shepard

Behind these conflicts is the Zoroastrian idea that throughout the history of the world a divine element and a demonic element are fighting with each other until in the end good prevails over evil. The later parts of the poem come closer to the actual history of Iran: In the first decades of the 11th century, Ghazna was the most important centre of Persian literature.

These campaigns resulted in a permanent conquest of the Punjab, where Lahore now in Pakistan became the residence of a Ghaznavid prince as the viceroy of Hindustan. In the second half of the 11th century, a tradition of court poetry was established in Lahore. He wrote several poems to bring his dismal condition to the attention of the Ghaznavid sultan and thereby established a genre of Persian prison poetry. In the 11th and 12th centuries other Turkish rulers continued the tradition of patronage established by the Ghaznavids. The latter is particularly famous for his renewal of panegyric poetry through the introduction of learned allusions and sophisticated rhetorical devices.

Small states emerged in all parts of the country, usually under the rule of atabeg s, the governors of young princes of the Seljuq house who had seized power on their own behalf. Persian poetry benefited greatly from this political process because the centres of literary patronage proliferated.

About the middle of the 12th century two outstanding poets emerged under the patronage of local rulers in western Iran. Although he stayed within the conventions of court poetry, he also followed the trend toward the treatment of ethical and religious themes that was gaining strength in his days. It was intended as a reminder of the vanity of worldly power and glory. Astrological associations involving planets, precious stones, and colours are woven into the poem. The Khamseh became a model that later poets emulated.

These short poems were the small coinage of literary communication, used for the exchange of repartees in a conversation between a poet and his patron or among poets and courtiers. Often these poems were improvisations that were later written down because the wittiness displayed in them was highly appreciated. Their contents could be of all kinds. They provide glimpses into literature written outside the courts. Many epigrams were also handed down as poems composed by famous philosophers, scholars, and mystics, but usually the philological evidence is too uncertain to confirm such attributions.

But it is doubtful whether she was a historical figure, because she also appears as the heroine of a romantic story that contains many of the poems put to her name. The most important environments outside the courts where Persian literature could thrive were those provided by religious minorities and mystical circles. This didactic poetry influenced Sufi Islamic mystical poetry. He is a historically vague personality thought to have lived during the 11th century as a wandering dervish in the mountains of western Iran.

These poems are written in a nonclassical Persian that includes many colloquialisms. He began his career as a poet at the court of Ghazna but turned his back on professional poetry, seeking instead the patronage of preachers and mystics for whom he wrote poems in all the poetic forms available to secular literature of his time. In these poems the blending of the secular and the transcendental, which later became characteristic of this genre, can be seen.

The term was adopted by dervishes who practiced a nonconformist way of life that rejected not only the world but also conventional piety, which they decried as hypocrisy. The qalandar acquired a strong symbolic value as a motif in Sufi poetry, especially in ghazal s. No ties of patronage are known in his case, nor are his connections to the Sufi communities existing in his time very clear. His output in poetry and prose is, however, considerable, although a number of the works carrying his name are forgeries made after his death. Among his genuine works is a group of didactic masnawi s in which narrative plays an important role.

A religious teacher, he became the spiritual head of a community of students that gradually developed into a circle of mystics who cultivated ritual based on poetry, music, and dance. We welcome suggested improvements to any of our articles. You can make it easier for us to review and, hopefully, publish your contribution by keeping a few points in mind. Your contribution may be further edited by our staff, and its publication is subject to our final approval.

Unfortunately, our editorial approach may not be able to accommodate all contributions. Our editors will review what you've submitted, and if it meets our criteria, we'll add it to the article. Please note that our editors may make some formatting changes or correct spelling or grammatical errors, and may also contact you if any clarifications are needed. Page 1 of 2. A masterful blend of fantasy and reality, the narrative forcefully conveys the shocking cruelties endured by many of the characters while at the same time weaving a modern-day Arabic legend where snakes offer jewels in exchange for milk and death is thwarted by appeasing the village demons.

Written with passion and elegance, Persian Brides brings a rich array of characters to life--telling of their hardships without ever losing the magic and wonder that is so much a part of their lives. Paperback , pages. Published August 17th by George Braziller Inc. Jewish Quarterly-Wingate Prize for Fiction To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Persian Brides , please sign up.

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Jun 06, Gary rated it it was amazing. This novel traces the experiences and yearnings of two Jewish Persian girls in turn of the century Iran, and as such is rich, animated, humorous, engaging and sensual. Flora is 15 and pregnant, waiting for her worthless straying husband to return home. Nazie is eleven and longs to be married and start a family. A masterpiece of contemporary literature in the tradition of Amy Tan and Shifra Horn. It vividly covers the sights, sounds, smells and feelings of the characters and the culture of Persian This novel traces the experiences and yearnings of two Jewish Persian girls in turn of the century Iran, and as such is rich, animated, humorous, engaging and sensual.

It vividly covers the sights, sounds, smells and feelings of the characters and the culture of Persian Jews. Set over two days, it succeeds in backtracking to cover the experiences of more than one generation. Richly explores the superstitions, customs and traditions of the Jews of Persia and Persia at the beginning of the Twentieth century. Oct 01, Ellen rated it it was ok. I did not like this book. In fact, I was happy when I got to the last page and was finally done with it. Given that the book touches on so many subjects that I like to read about, including Jewish history, women's lives, and foreign cultures, I thought I would enjoy this book about Jewish women in a small Persian town in the early 20th century.

But the writing is very heavy handed. While I can believe that small towns are not easy places to live, there was barely a single instance of two people I did not like this book. While I can believe that small towns are not easy places to live, there was barely a single instance of two people interacting in a positive way. It's all yelling, cursing, and hitting each other, with no redeeming features to life.

The characters are not drawn in a believable way; they are all flat caricatures. And worse, Rabinyan is very heavy on unpleasant physical details and descriptions. I am not particularly squeamish, but there were many parts that were very off-putting. I didn't love her other novel, Our Weddings which was written after this , and I think I can safely say that I'm through reading Rabinyan. Initially the book was hard to follow - I was unsure whether I wasn't paying sufficient attention or whether the book wasn't sufficiently captivating.

Either way I had to re-read the beginning and put in more effort than I particularly wanted to. The cultural aspects were almost interesting but more disturbing and seemed characterized, as if the author was trying to convey some big shameful cultural secret and wanted to make sure the reader got it. The story itself became decently captivating but Initially the book was hard to follow - I was unsure whether I wasn't paying sufficient attention or whether the book wasn't sufficiently captivating.

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The story itself became decently captivating but felt like it had no point. For a first novel from a young author this was a decent, but not particularly sparkling, attempt. Jun 12, Jessica Haider rated it really liked it Shelves: Rabinyan was only 21 at the time that she wrote the book. The story focuses on 15 year old Flora, her 11 year old cousin Nazie, and their family, the Hanoums. Flora, is a headstrong girl, with perhaps a bit too much vanity. She rejects many suitors that come to her family proposing "Persian Brides' is the first novel by Israeli-born Dorit Rabinyan. She rejects many suitors that come to her family proposing marriage.

Nazie, who is treated like a servant by her aunt Flora's mother , sees all this activity and longs to be married herself.

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The novel is full of culture and folklore and it was very interesting to read about the traditions and rituals that the family followed. The writing was beautiful and full of great imagery. I feel that the book would have been better with a touch more character and plot development. We read this book in my book group and there were mixed feelings on it. Some people didn't like it at all due to the limited plot and others enjoyed the writing and the magical imagery. I personally, love reading about other cultures and their traditions, folklore, superstitions and beliefs, so I found that aspect of this book very satisfying.

One example of an interesting tradition in Flora's village is that mothers shout from the rooftop to let the neighborhood know when their daughter has their first menstruation. And you thought your mother was bad!

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The novel will make you smile at some of the other traditions and superstitions that Flora and her family live by. Jul 12, Justyna rated it did not like it. It was truly painful to read this book. The writing wording itself is good and at times even beautiful, but it doesn't match the story at all. As other reviewers here have already mentioned, there's a lot of yelling, cursing, hitting each other, the narrative and the story levels are completely different and don't match each other.

I also felt repulsed by the naturalistic approach to sexuality of the characters. What's more, I couldn't seem to grasp whether the whole book was made of legends t It was truly painful to read this book. What's more, I couldn't seem to grasp whether the whole book was made of legends that were just made into real life stories or real life stories that were made into legends.

It was very confusing and hard to follow.

All in all, a waste of time for me, I'm afraid. Mar 06, Blanka rated it really liked it. Jun 18, Joanne rated it liked it. If you want to know more about ancient Persian laws and customs, this was a good book. But it was a very odd read. Of the two girls brides neither drew much empathy from the reader and the other women in the book were often horrible to each other and the girls. Aug 17, Elizabeth rated it really liked it.