The Persian Cinderella, by Shirley Climo - Traditional Tale

The Persian Cinderella is typical Cinderella story that comes from the stories of the Arabian Nights. Shirley Climo, the author, writes that this story was based on the story “The Anklet” that was a retelling by Naomi Lewis in her book Stories from the Arabian Nights. This Cinderella story is about a young beautiful woman who’s mother has died and she is living with her step-mother, step-sisters, and aunts in the “woman’s section” of her father’s house. She is beautiful and kind, which evokes the jealousy of her stepsisters. Her name is Settareh, which the author noted is still a popular name in Persian and Iran today, and she feels like no one loves her. One day her father comes to tell them that they have all been invited to attend the festival of the New Year called No Ruz, at the Royal Palace where Prince Mehrdad lives. He gives them all money to go and buy clothes with and off the woman go (wearing headdresses in true Islamic fashion) to purchase new clothes. However, Settarah buys almonds (she is very hungry) and a cracked blue pot that turns out to be magical and grants wishes for her.

The author has created several other Cinderella stories in the past, using retellings and cultural studies as her main source of authenticity for her stories. She was noted on the front cover as having being recognized as a respected folklorist and writer. The illustrator, Robert Florczak, spent time studying the different appearances of ancient Persian by consulting and working together with the Persian community in Los Angeles, California. The combined research of these two groups has resulted in a well-written and illustrated book that leaves out the stereotypic ideas of the ancient Persia.

This story seemed to me to extend farther than some other Cinderella stories, because Prince Mehrdad and Settarah actually got to send time together before marrying. Realistically, they could have fallen in love with each other more than some other versions where the prince sees the beautiful maiden, falls for her beauty, and instantly marries her. In this version, the prince was taken with Settarah’s beauty, but spent enough time with her that he grew quite fond of her and went into isolation when she was magically turned into a dove (a symbol for peace and goodness in some cultures). The Prince seemed to have a good heart and would seem to make a good ruler, as seen from his actions toward a gentle dove and Settarah.

The book did remind me of another Cinderella version by Shirley Climo, The Egyptian Cinderella. A bird delivers Cinderella’s shoe to the Pharaoh in that version and in The Persian Cinderella, Settarah is turned into a bird by the magical plan of her evil stepsisters. I don’t know much about either culture, but I could predict that nature and possibly even birds are an important and sacred part of their lifestyle.

I have read three of Shirley Climo’s Cinderella books now, and have not been disappointed. She captures the culture well and does her research before writing and publishing. I think that it says a lot for her as an author to consult with different groups of people from the culture she is writing about before starting her work.