Scrutiny of the mistakes in Khaleghi Mutlaq's edition of some verses of the Shahnameh

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Persian literature. Humanity Faculty. Imam Khomeini University

10.29252/kavosh.2025.22940.3684

Abstract

The Shahnameh by Ferdowsi, as the greatest national epic of Iranians, stands at the highest peak of the Persian literature. Over the long time after the composition of this great work, many manuscripts of it have been written. In the last century, various editions of this valuable work were made with different approaches, each of which has advantages and disadvantages. Undoubtedly, the best scientific edition of the Shahnameh so far is the one by Jalal Khaleghi Motlagh, which is the result of his tireless efforts over years. However, both in the first and second editions, there are problems such as wrong understandings, incorrect comparative corrections, and giving too much credit to one manuscript. This calls for the revision of the book. Therefore, in this study, the mistakes in Khaleghi Motlaq's edition are divided into several categories, and examples are given for each. This research demonstrates that, although Khaleghi has been meticulous, he has somehow ignored manuscript-related, linguistic, semantic, historical, and intertextual characteristics, so some mistakes are found in his corrections. As the research results show, correcting the Shahnameh can never be considered complete, and, with scientific and manuscript-related methods, better recordings can be achieved for some verses.

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Main Subjects

References

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Kahrizi, Kh. (2020). The Margin of the Zafarnameh: A Credible Manuscript from the Shahnameh. Persian Prose and Poetry Research, 4(10), 11-40. https://doi.org/10.22055/jrp.2019.16407 [in Persian]
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Noorbaghi, A. Yahaghi, M.J., & Rashid Mohsel, M.R. (2019). A Look at the Correction of the Opening Verses of the Shahnameh (based on the Scientific-Critical Edition by Jalal Khalighi-Motlagh), New Literary Essays, 205, 1-27. https://doi.org/10.22067/jls.v0i0.77567 [in Persian]
 
Journal of Kavoshnameh in Persian Language and Literature
Volume 26, Issue 66 - Serial Number 66
December 2025
Pages 113-144

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