Olga M. Davidson
Olga Davidson is a Professor in the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies at the Brandeis University. Dr. Davidson served as chair of the concentration in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at Brandeis University from 1992-1997. Other duties include: Elected Member of the Board of Trustees, Encyclopedia Iranica, 1998-, Member of the Advisory Council of the Department of Near Eastern Studies, Princeton University, 1999-, Chair of the Board, ILEX Foundation, 1999-. Her publications include Poet and Hero in the Persian Book of Kings and Comparative Literature and Classical Persian Poetry. Dr. Davidson received her BA from Boston University and her Ph.D. from Princeton University. Her dissertation, entitled "The Crown-Bestower and the Iranian Book of Kings," was awarded the T. Cuyler Young Prize by the Near Eastern Studies Department, Princeton University.
Foreword.
Acknowledgments.
Introduction.
Pt. I The Poet and His Poetry.
1 The Authority of Ferdowsi the Poet.
2 The Authority of Ferdowsi's Shahnama.
3 Ferdowsi's Oral Poetic Heritage.
Pt. II The Hero.
4 Book of Kings, Epic of Heroes.
5 King and Hero, Shah and Pahlavan.
6 Rostam, Guardian of Sovereignty.
7 The Concept of Premature and Immature Fatherhood in the Story of Rostam and Sohrab.
8 Father-Son Dioscurism as a Model of Authority in the Shahnama.
9 Feasting and Fighting: Ultimate Occasions for Hero and Poet.
Conclusion.
Appendix: A Formulaic Analysis of Samples Taken from the Shahnama of Ferdowsi.
Bibliography.
Index.