cyrus ghani, shakespeare, persia and the east. new york: mage, 2008. 208 pp, isbn: 978-1933823249

shakespeare, persia and the east is a slim book of comparative literature. its main emphasis is on english and persian literatures and cultures. without doubt this is the most comprehensive book which is written in this area so far. shakespeare, persia and the east, as the title signifies, is about shakespeare’s knowledge and interest in persia and the east. the book has an introduction, an index (a selection of translations of the works of shakespeare in several eastern languages), a bibliography, and an index of authors. it consists of five chapters: 1) a brief biography of shakespeare, 2) the tudors and the safavids,3) travelers to persia and commercial relations, 4) shakespeare and the earl of southampton and 5) persian and other eastern references in shakespeare’s plays. the first four initial chapters serve as an introduction to the last chapter which is the most important and somehow innovative part of the book.