Persian Classics

The Persian Boy traces the last years of Alexander's life through the eyes of his lover, Bagoas. Abducted and gelded as a boy, Bagoas is sold as a courtesan to King Darius of Persia, but finds freedom with Alexander the Great after the Macedon army conquers his homeland. Their relationship sustains Alexander as he weathers assassination plots, the demands of two foreign wives, a sometimes mutinous army, and his own ferocious temper.

Savushun chronicles the life of a Persian family during the Allied occupation of Iran during World War II. It is set in Shiraz, a town which evokes images of Persepolis and pre-Islamic monuments, the great poets, the shrines, Sufis, and nomadic tribes within a historical web of the interests, privilege, and influence of foreign powers; corruption, incompetence, and arrogance of persons in authority; the paternalistic landowner-peasant relationship; tribalism; and the fear of famine.

This masterful translation brings legendary heroes, tragic destinies, sweeping romances, colossal monsters, and fearless warriors vividly to life, unfolding a mythic saga that spans thousands of years. Originally composed as an 11th-century epic poem, Shahnameh endures as one of the world’s greatest masterpieces of mythology and storytelling. Performed by award-winning voice actor Marc Thompson and enriched with evocative sound design by Hamid Rahmanian, creator of the Shahnameh Project, this theatrical audiobook is truly cinema for the ear.

Aeschylus’ historical tragedy Persians, with its dire warnings against the hubris of imperialist overreach, is as relevant today as it was when first presented to an Athenian audience in 472 BC. This new edition of the classic drama features a literal translation by Mark Will (translator of Fernando Pessoa’s Message) which reconstructs in contemporary English verse the epic cadences of the original Greek.

The Persians: A Translation from Aeschylus There is no drama where the total multiplicity of horror in defeat is more cogently presented than in the Persians by Aeschylus, who fought in the Athenian triumph at Salamis, where the Persian fleet was rammed and wrecked.

Prepare to be transported into the thunderous sweep of Persian history. This section of Shahnameh (Chapters 16-27 in Shahnameh: The Epic of the Persian Kings) moves from myth to history, chronicling the dramatic rise of the Sassanian dynasty and its eventual fall. Through masterful storytelling, the epic brings to life royal ambition, political intrigue, heroic resistance, and cultural transformation—culminating in the Arab conquest of Iran in the seventh century. Performed by award-winning voice actor Marc Thompson, this performative audiobook places you at the heart of the action.

A riveting retelling of one of the great adventure stories of antiquity—when Greek philosopher-warrior Xenophon led a stranded band of the “Ten Thousand” mercenary soldiers on a treacherous escape from the Persians. 400 BC. The Persian prince Cyrus the Younger hires an army of Greek...