The King

Note from the Translator

The storyteller who narrates The King has a vast store of classical literature in his head that he recites more or less verbatim, adopting and adapting it as circumstances require. Some of this literature is easily available in existing English translations. The shah’s poem in chapter 13 is based on a verse from The Golestan of Saadi, translated by Richard Francis Burton. The poem in chapter 24 is from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, translated by Edward FitzGerald. The passages from the Quran are taken from the translation made by Ahmed Ali, Al-Qur’an, published by the Princeton University Press in 1984.

I would like to thank R.M. McGlinn for his assistance in transliterating the Farsi texts. Thanks also to Melissa Marshall for her exacting editorial skill. And finally, my gratitude to Susan Massotty for her collegial support and encouragement.