Shahnameh genealogy (a start anyway)

I’ve been participating in The Shahnameh Reading Project 2016, with Tessa Gratton & Kate Elliott. (It’s never too late to join. Click that link and get in on this epic.) It’s been great fun but there are quite a few people to keep track of in the stories. I did some searching but had no luck finding any family trees.

To better understand the connections between the noble families in Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings (and because I needed a break as I was pissed at Garsivaz) I flipped back to the beginning and started taking notes in the hopes of putting together a genealogy. As it happens, a character can be around for quite some time before it’s mentioned that they are a prince (I’m looking at you, Tus) - or maybe it just takes me a while to figure it out - so I started lists of nobles and warriors, as well. Below, with some commentary, is what I have through The Legend of Seyavash. In the Dick Davis translation we are reading that’s p. 1 through p. 280.

A wee legend for my trees:

Feraydun’s ancestors:

My only issue with this one was that Faranak was a bit vague with how many father-sons were between Abetin and Tahmures.


Feraydun’s descendants:

I was a bit puzzled by the origins of Zav and Kay Qobad. When they were first chosen as kings (Zav because Nozar was beheaded and Kay Qobad because Zav died) I assumed it was because Persia wanted to be ruled by Feraydun’s descendants through Iraj’s line so they went searching for even the most obscure relatives. So, yeah, it’s a bit annoying we have heard nothing of them during all the drama but that’s ok, I can adjust. However, my mind was totally blown to discover that Tus is Nozar’s son. (How did I miss this? Was it really not mentioned? I still haven’t found a mention of it previous to what we are about to start reading if you don’t count the Glossary of Names at the end of the book.) Tus is Nozar’s son and is around and yet he’s not wanted for the throne? Anyway, the genealogical point is that I didn’t think there was any justification for linking Zav and Kay Qobad to Iraj directly.

Quick side note: Did anyone else notice that King Sarv hung around to fight for descendants that are not from his daughter’s line? I thought that was interesting.

Kay Qobad’s descendants:

Pretty straightforward except for Fariborz. I was going to assume he was Sudabeh’s child but he just seemed too old, what with the battles and all. The timing of Fariborz, Seyavash, Sohrab, and Sudabeh’s “young children” is still a bit fuzzy for me. I’m going with the suggestion already put forth that Sohrab happened during Seyavash’s fostering and I’m personally hypothesizing that Fariborz is older than all of them (sorry that’s not really reflected by where I put him in the tree).

The great champions of Persia are pretty important so I made them their own tree:

And we wouldn’t want to forget about the Arab kings (shoulder snakes!):

That’s it for the trees but since you never know where another Tus might be hiding here is a list of Persian nobles and warriors. The passage of time and generations is very fluid but I did try to list them across columns as time/reigns pass.

Then since Seyavash spent so much time in Turan (and even married Farigis) I did a list for their nobles and warriors, too.

And that’s it (well, almost. I have a Mazanderan list, too;). Again, all feedback/corrections welcome. I hope this helps other readers. It was quite enjoyable for me and has really enhanced my connection with the entire epic.

Deliverance by James Dickey

Title: Deliverance
Author: James Dickey
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co (1970)


So, funny story. This month's pick is Michael's (obviously it is, it's from the 70s;) and I hadn't read or seen it before but I'd certainly heard of it and was even looking forward to it as it'd been a while since I'd read a Western. Yeah, you saw that right; for some reason I had it in my head that this was a classic Western. Yes, the look on my partner's face when I said it was about a canoe trip and not a Western was priceless. He hasn't actually seen the whole thing either but he definitely knew this very famous story wasn't a Western. How do these ideas take hold in one's mind? It's like The Untouchables all over again. I assume I just get the titles confused on different movies but, still, a Western? Well, anyway...

For those that are new to our monthly series, this is when Michael reviews a film adapted from a book which gets a review here (**contains mild spoilers**).

Click here for Michael's film review of Deliverance 

at It Rains... You Get Wet

Premise:
Four dudes from the 'burbs decide to go on a canoe trip down a hard to access river to get a break from the routine of city life. The weekend does not go as expected.

Title:

...but the promise of it that promised other things, another life, deliverance.

When I first read that line I thought the title was ironic or satirical. But by the time I finished the book I wasn't so sure. I'd be willing to wager a hefty sum that Dickey and I see this story quite differently. 


What works:
The intimacy of the narrator. Whether or not you want to hang out with Ed Gentry and his friends for the weekend you can't help but fall seamlessly into Ed's head. 

The hilarious drive to the river. I defy anyone to not laugh at the route and Lewis' cat-like "of course that's what I meant to do all along" attitude.  
 

What doesn't:
Oh dear, this list is so long. I'll try to keep it on the technical side of things rather than the personal. There's an extremely heavy reliance upon "hillbilly" stereotypes. (For anyone who, like me, wasn't quite buying the convenient countryfolk are always suspicious of cityfolk - probably because of moonshine - excuse here's a really interesting link on the history of moonshiners in North Georgia.) I just couldn't really believe the things Ed was doing physically. In fact, I just couldn't really believe these guys were all that far outside of a metropolitan area. They weren't exactly rushing to get out there on Friday and they were going to be back by Sunday? Also, you stuff some dirty cloth into a serious wound (whilst rummaging around in a wilderness) and there are no side effects to this?

It reads an awful like like the author has put a lot of himself onto the page. I always cringe when I feel that way when reading as I think it says more about me than the author but I went for a little surf on the interwebs to read some interviews with Dickey and I'm starting to suspect I'm right. Not a huge deal as when can art ever not contain some of the artist? But that's when all that personal stuff I avoided talking about comes up and can ruin a reading experience. 
 

Overall: 
From this interview:

I wrote the right book at the right time. People were caught up in a savage fable of decent men fighting for their lives and killing and getting away with it. 

I like that Dickey describes this as a fable. It explains all the technical hiccups that make it a hard-to-believe story. But if it is a fable (sans the animals) it's certainly not a classic fable as there doesn't seem to be much a moral lesson in it. Or, if there is, then I'd need to re-do that "What Doesn't" section and delve into the personal. Maybe in the comments... if the mood strikes. 

(format h/t: AW)

Now about that movie... Don't forget to check out Michael's post. 

 
rating: 2 of 5 stars
 

Coming up next:  
Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Click here for an index of the joint post series

The Laughing Policeman by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo

Title: The Laughing Policeman
Author: Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo
Publisher: P.A. Norstedt & Soners Forlag (1968)
English Translation: Alan Blair (Vintage Books)

Here we are, back to our translations and still riding the international theme train. However, this is a first for me in that I've previously not read any "scandy" crime fiction. Yeah, that's right, I'm already in with the lingo which I learned from my local second hand bookseller. When I called up to ask about this title he said, "No sorry I don't have that one. The scandy crime is so popular these days I can't keep the titles in." If you're a scandy crime lover, feel free to comment below with your favorite.

For those that are new to our monthly series, this is when Michael reviews a film adapted from a book which gets a review here.

Click here for Michael's film review of The Laughing Policeman 

at It Rains... You Get Wet

Premise:
On a rainy night in Stockholm a protest has descended into riot when the police over-police. At the same time, a gunman kills nine people on a bus. When one of those victims turns out to be a cop, his fellow detectives aren't convinced the standard random act of a madman explanation will serve to solve this crime.

Unlike us, the American psychologists have no lack of material to work on.

 
Title:
The title, much like the novel, is a piss-take while, at the same time, it's clear the authors never lose sight of the fact that they are taking pokes at a genre they love.

He held out his hand with some hesitation and for safety's sake kept his glove on. 

What works:
The tone, the jibes, the POV, the dialogue, the character descriptions, it all works. Despite the gruesome nature of what is definitely a procedural, humor rolls off the page. I laughed out loud multiple times, and up through the very end. There's no point at which a corner is turned and the authors are like: ok, time to get serious. It's all serious. It's just that it's all funny, too. I don't want to imply that this is in any way the masterpiece that Galaxy Quest is but it's obvious that the authors have full love and appreciation for the genre which has granted them the expertise to highlight the foibles of the genre (and this is easily picked up by me, a lightweight in the detective genre so I assume seasoned readers will get even more).

Sadly, it must be described as unfortunate that another spot-on aspect of the book is its topicality. It's not exactly contemporary with a 1968 pub date (no cell phones, no computers finding faces, no PCR, no digital records to cross-check, no CCTV) but it was chilling that some lines seemed word for word from the mouths of many citizens and police forces currently grappling with community policing and gun violence. Let's hope it doesn't take another 50 years to solve some of these problems.

But even to someone with Ronn's uncomplicated outlook, this Ullholm stood out as a monster of nagging tedium and reactionary stupidity. 

And while I don't have any specific comment to make in regards to crime psychology I love how it seems to be a universal feature of detective novels of the late 60s and 70s.  

What doesn't:
It's actually a bit boring. Once the crime is established not much happens until almost the halfway point. While not a long book it's not short either at 250+ pages so having what felt like a third of it meander along revealing not much got a bit boring. Thankfully there were still some laughs in that part.

For all the beautifully executed satire it was sorely lacking in any subversion of the role of women in detective novels. The women were almost wholly used as naggers and receptacles. Bit of a missed opportunity there I would say. 

And don't get me started on how we ended up here:

...born at some unpronounceable place the name of which I've forgotten.

While seemingly business as usual with the other jokes, it's not actually. I'm reading a translation and am not familiar at all with the Swedish language so while I see all the Swedish names as unpronounceable babble the above line and attitude isn't a joke for the book's original audience. 

And, finally, a nitpicky PSA for authors everywhere: it's easier for dogs to track scents in wet environments. I happen to know this because I have a friend who trains tracking dogs but also it's easy to find on the internet (and probably would have been easy to find with a little research in a library back in 1968). I see the raining = dogs-no-good mistake all the time. Why doesn't anyone look this up? 

Overall: 
Solid plot and loads of laughs for detective novel fans but a few things that'll make you go hmmm.

(format h/t: AW)

Now about that movie... Don't forget to check out Michael's post. 

 
rating: 3 of 5 stars
 

Coming up next:  
Deliverance by James Dickey

Click here for an index of the joint post series

Science is Cool!

The seething star forming this nebula is 45 times more massive than our sun. Gas on the star gets so hot that it escapes away into space as a "stellar wind" moving at over 4 million miles per hour. This outflow sweeps up the cold, interstellar gas in front of it, forming the outer edge of the bubble much like a snowplow piles up snow in front of it as it moves forward.

Read more and see the amazing video here.

The seething star forming this nebula is 45 times more massive than our sun. Gas on the star gets so hot that it escapes away into space as a "stellar wind" moving at over 4 million miles per hour. This outflow sweeps up the cold, interstellar gas in front of it, forming the outer edge of the bubble much like a snowplow piles up snow in front of it as it moves forward.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2016-04-hubble-star-inflating-giant.html#jCp

The seething star forming this nebula is 45 times more massive than our sun. Gas on the star gets so hot that it escapes away into space as a "stellar wind" moving at over 4 million miles per hour. This outflow sweeps up the cold, interstellar gas in front of it, forming the outer edge of the bubble much like a snowplow piles up snow in front of it as it moves forward.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2016-04-hubble-star-inflating-giant.html#jCp

The seething star forming this nebula is 45 times more massive than our sun. Gas on the star gets so hot that it escapes away into space as a "stellar wind" moving at over 4 million miles per hour. This outflow sweeps up the cold, interstellar gas in front of it, forming the outer edge of the bubble much like a snowplow piles up snow in front of it as it moves forward.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2016-04-hubble-star-inflating-giant.html#jCp

There is no gene for the human spirit

One way to think about this is simply as a reflection of the fact that, to date, we have found no limitations to the improvements that can be made with particular types of practice. As training techniques are improved and new heights of achievement are discovered, people in every area of human endeavor are constantly finding ways to get better, to raise the bar on what was thought to be possible, and there is no sign that this will stop. The horizons of human potential are expanding with each new generation.

Full article here.


Strangely, rather than making me want to go out and get my practice on it just makes me want to watch Gattaca again. ;-) 

A Kate Elliott Unboxing

I had some inkling of the glorious and shiny awesomeness in store for me as my mom was kind enough to not only act as my international postal service (read: enabler) but she also did a wee Skype session with me before forwarding on my books. However, nothing can compare to having gorgeous, beloved books in your own two hands. Thus, a photographic love letter.

Behold, the Unboxed!

When you realize getting them singly from the library does not at all do justice to the sheer amount of BOOK!

Never fear, Volume 3, one day I will find you!

Found consolation almost immediately when I discovered...

omg, omg, omg easter eggs on the signed title pages?!?!?!?!?

Joy, joy, joy, more easter eggs!

And then, of course, further consolation in gazing at what I would argue is the best cover set of all time:

btw, the outer seeming matches the inner heart, best trilogy ever!

Speaking of covers, my faves from CoS:

Where can I get that shield?

My mom, continuing her reign as best mom ever, flipped through The Secret Journal of Beatrice Hassi Barahal via Skype for me and, besides loving the artwork, made this comment: There sure is a lot of kissing! I about fell over when I saw this on closer inspection:

My mom agrees with Cat

And is anything better than new books settled into their new home?

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

Title: The Joy Luck Club
Author: Amy Tan
Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons (1989)

In a last minute switch we won't be starting our year off with three translations (never fear, our original plan for this is only slightly delayed so the translation fun will continue next month) but since this book explores the lives and relationships of four women who move country, I'm going to say it fits in well with the international theme we've got going so far. 

For those that are new to our monthly series, this is when Michael reviews a film adapted from a book which gets a review here.

Click here for Michael's film review of The Joy Luck Club

at It Rains... You Get Wet

Jing-mei "June" Woo is asked to fill her mother's spot at the mah jong table her mom and friends have going at the Joy Luck Club. The first Joy Luck Club her mom started was in China before she immigrated to the US. The club was started again with new friends in San Fransisco. June has been asked to fill the spot due to her mother's death. The first night she goes she learns that her mother has been secretly searching for the twin daughters she lost during WWII in China. This revelation is the thread that binds the narrative and makes June realize:

In me, they see their own daughters, just as ignorant, just as unmindful of all the truths and hopes they have brought to America.

From here, the reader is taken through a series of vignettes that tie the history of the mothers to the present of the daughters.

There's a lot about this type of book that's going to hook me right away: mothers and daughters, history, multiple POVs, multi-generational stories, and character insight at various ages. All of these structural elements really draw me in as a reader. Add to that the fluid writing style and I found this a quick, easy read. Several lines made me laugh out loud and many moments made me happy to be there with the characters. I defy anyone to resist this moment with Lindo Jong:

So you can imagine how happy she was when they forced her to tell the truth about her imperial ancestry.

One aspect of the style never clicked with me and that was the choice to do every POV in the first person. Again, this is a multi-generational story and it includes 8 POVs. Now, I'm a sucker for multiple perspectives as I love how a character begins to take shape in your mind and then a new perspective comes along and just might demolish what you were building. However, when you have 8 people telling stories that include a least 3 generations it can get very hard to tell characters apart. When most of what you are reading is "I, Mama, or Auntie" and no one's name you don't have an anchor to bring that story back to. I was often flipping back to remind myself of which childhood went with which adult.

Interestingly, I got as much out of reading about The Joy Luck Club as I did actually reading The Joy Luck Club. It's a book that's always been on my list since it (and its movie adaptation) is super famous and tons of people have read it. I really didn't know any details other than that it was about immigrant mothers and their daughters. While I was reading it, I found much to enjoy. I loved the subtle humor and the small ways the moms would catch out their kids with far more perceptiveness than they were given credit for (who can't relate to that moment when we have to look at our parents and realize they probably understand a bit more about our lives than we'd like them to?). Also, as someone who has spent a fair bit of time in San Fransisco I really liked the neighborhood details and various descriptions.

However, while I was reading I also found much to give me pause. As an outsider to this experience, I don't come from an immigrant or Chinese family, I think that if you, dear reader, have any curiosity as to why this novel is hugely popular but not universally admired a few google searches will be more illuminating than anything I can write here.

I'm gonna leave this one as recommended but with reservations. I'm reminded of "the danger of a single story." 

Now about that movie... Don't forget to check out Michael's post. 

 
rating: 3 of 5 stars
 

Coming up next:  
The Laughing Policeman by Sjowall and Wahloo

Click here for an index of the joint post series