Description

The story developed in Persia in the early 19th century from more popular Tutiname (also Tutuname), a narrative about a wife, who is left home alone with a parrot. The parrot entertains the wife with various stories and keeps her from meeting her lover until the husband returns. The story was so popular, that the title words Chehel Tuti became an expression for a never-ending tale.

We could not find any other examples of the book nor any records of this version in the literature available to us. Ulrich Marzolph (in : Narrative Illustration in Persian Lithographed Books, 2001) does not list this book. Muhammad Mahdi Golpayegani is mentioned as a scribe of two other books, Boshaq-e at’eme and Chahar fasl-e Meikade, published in 1888 and 1889 (p. 280).

References: Cf.: Ulrich Marzolph, Die vierzig Papageien. Das persische Volksbuch Chehel Tuti. Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte des Papageienbuches. Walldorf 1979. Ulrich Marzolph – Richard van Leeuwen, The Arabian Nights Encyclopedia, 2004, pp. 729-730.