23%OFF
Stock image for illustration purposes only - book cover, edition or condition may vary.
The King
Kader Abdolah
€ 13.99
€ 10.71
FREE Delivery in Ireland
Description for The King
Paperback. Once upon a time there was a Persian prince. The prince had many brothers, for his father had married over a thousand wives, but Prince Naser alone stood to inherit the kingdom. As the prince ascends to the throne we lurk in his shadow to overhear the whispered intrigues and plotting of bloody battles. Translator(s): Flier, Nancy Forest-. Num Pages: 448 pages. BIC Classification: FA; FYT. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 199 x 128 x 28. Weight in Grams: 304.
*Longlisted for the 2016 International DUBLIN Literary Award*
Once upon a time there was a Persian prince. The prince had many brothers, for his father had married over a thousand wives, but Prince Naser alone stood to inherit the kingdom.
As the prince ascends to the throne we lurk in his shadow to overhear the whispered intrigues and plotting of bloody battles. The weight of the nation bears heavily on Shah Naser's shoulders. Will this young king triumph or will he succumb to the forces that threaten to engulf him?
Enter the court of the King of Persia . . .
Product Details
Publisher
Canongate Books
Format
Paperback
Publication date
2015
Condition
New
Number of Pages
448
Place of Publication
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
ISBN
9780857862969
SKU
V9780857862969
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 5 to 9 working days
Ref
99-8
About Kader Abdolah
Kader Abdolah (a pen name created in memoriam to friends who died under persecution by the current Iranian regime) was born in Iran in 1954. While a student of physics in Tehran, he joined a secret leftist party that fought against the dictatorship of the shah and the subsequent dictatorship of the ayatollahs. Abdolah wrote for an illegal journal and clandestinely published two books in Iran. In 1988, he arrived in the Netherlands as a political refugee. Kader Abdolah is the author of several books, including the novels My Father's Notebook, The House of the Mosque and most recently The King which has been longlisted for the 2016 International DUBLIN Literary Award. He has received several awards, including the Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres decoration in 2008. Nancy Forest-Flier is an American-born translator who has made her home in the Netherlands with her husband, the writer Jim Forest.
Reviews for The King
The King is utterly fabulous in both senses of the word: a sly, witty, knowing fable, full of charm and humour. Deceptively simple in its storytelling, it reads like one of Angela Carter's fairy tales transposed into the nineteenth-century Qajar Persian court. Kader Abdolah is a masterful and completely addictive storyteller
WILLIAM DALRYMPLE A strong and colourful story illuminating the complex forces that have shaped contemporary Iran
Metro
Glorious
The Times
Set in the last half of the 19th century, The King is a biography of brutality and ambition; all of its characters strive to shape their own lives as well as the destiny of their evolving nation
New York Times
Told in a simple yet gripping style based on the great epic history of early Persia, the 'Shahnameh' written by Firdawsi about a thousand years ago. It proves a very effective model for this dramatic tale of a later ruler and his heroic, if often brutal, battles. As in the 'Shahnameh', lyrical passages celebrating Persia break up the harsh history
Independent
Abdolah brings a crucial moment in 19th-century Persian history to vivid life
Independent
The King probes questions of power and authority through wry fable - Salman Rushdie's Shame meets Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall . . . the story is rich with subtle touches . . . in the grand tradition of Persian literary satire, the writing is playful, subversive, and compassionate . . . resplendent
Financial Times
Excellent . . . accessible and deceptively light
Scotsman
A modern epic
Independent
A very detailed and well-researched historical account
Guardian
WILLIAM DALRYMPLE A strong and colourful story illuminating the complex forces that have shaped contemporary Iran
Metro
Glorious
The Times
Set in the last half of the 19th century, The King is a biography of brutality and ambition; all of its characters strive to shape their own lives as well as the destiny of their evolving nation
New York Times
Told in a simple yet gripping style based on the great epic history of early Persia, the 'Shahnameh' written by Firdawsi about a thousand years ago. It proves a very effective model for this dramatic tale of a later ruler and his heroic, if often brutal, battles. As in the 'Shahnameh', lyrical passages celebrating Persia break up the harsh history
Independent
Abdolah brings a crucial moment in 19th-century Persian history to vivid life
Independent
The King probes questions of power and authority through wry fable - Salman Rushdie's Shame meets Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall . . . the story is rich with subtle touches . . . in the grand tradition of Persian literary satire, the writing is playful, subversive, and compassionate . . . resplendent
Financial Times
Excellent . . . accessible and deceptively light
Scotsman
A modern epic
Independent
A very detailed and well-researched historical account
Guardian