On March 29, the central branch of the Vancouver Public Library hosted UBC classical Persian literature Professor Dr. Alexandra Hoffmann for a free talk on “Bizhan and Manizheh,” a Farsi story from the Persian Shahnameh (Book of Kings).
Organized in partnership with UBC’s department of Asian studies, the Persian language program, the UBC Persian Club and the UBC Persian Literature Reading Club, the talk featured traditional Farsi readings of passages from the Shahnameh, a discussion with Hoffmann and a community mingling event afterward.
The Shahnameh, written in the late 10th and early 11th centuries by the Persian poet Ferdowsi, is what Hoffmann in her lecture called “the beating heart of Persian literature.” An epic poem of over 50,000 rhyming couplets — the longest ever written by a single author — it chronicles the mythologized history of the Iranian region in a national origin story of massive scale.
“I think [the Shahnameh] is a very underrated piece,” said psychology student Ashkan Doremami. “[It has] so many different themes and elements that I think … people outside Iran would really enjoy.”
Co-organizers Doremami and Negar Jalali took the lead in organizing the talk after speaking with Hoffmann about her interest in presenting the content to a public audience.
“Me and Dr. [Hessam] Dehghani, the Persian language professor, had talked about possibly having such an event in preparation for the shadow theatre that is happening at the Chan Centre,” said Hoffmann in reference to May 10’s Song of the North event.
“We settled on the VPL because … we wanted it to be a free event and very accessible, very inclusive … and once we’d connected with them they were really just happy to support us,” said Doremami.
Hoffmann’s talk, which managed to fill up and even exceed the VPL Montalbano Family Theatre’s seating, started off with background information on the Shanameh as a whole but quickly narrowed to focus on “Bizhan and Manizheh,” a romance that makes up just one section of Ferdowsi’s greater work.
While Hoffmann summarized most of the poem’s plot in accessible, abridged language, the presentation featured three naqqali recitals, traditional Persian verse readings of the Shahnameh, by UBC and Douglas College students Pardis Shirkani and Parnian Kabeh Zadeh. These recitals were highlights of the presentation, breathing life into the Farsi verse and allowing even non-speakers to appreciate the poem’s elegance and drama enhanced by musical backing from Amirhossein Rashidi on the tar, a traditional Persian stringed instrument.
The audience, many of whom were Farsi speakers themselves and familiar with the content of the poem, were engaged and enthusiastic, laughing and gasping along as the story unfolded and sometimes chiming in to respond to Hoffmann. The discussion period was equally dynamic, with audience members bringing up a range of topics from plot clarifications to literary culture.
“It was important to me, at least, to really find this balance of having something for everybody,” Hoffmann said. “Having a really accessible introduction for people who don’t speak Persian … but then also something academic and maybe some food for thought.”
Although the reading at VPL was a one-time event, Hoffmann, Doremami and the other speakers were sure to highlight the many ways one can get involved with Persian culture on campus. In addition to the Chan Centre’s upcoming shadow puppet show, interested readers can get involved by reaching out to the UBC Persian Club, the Persian Literature Reading Club or by signing up for a related course in UBC’s Persian language program.
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