The Secret History of the Mongols
  • Published: 14 November 2023
  • ISBN: 9780241197912
  • Imprint: Penguin Classics
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 480
  • RRP: $26.99
Categories:

The Secret History of the Mongols

Formats & editions
Paperback
14 Nov 2023
EBook
27 Apr 2023
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An inventive translation of a great historical epic, recounting the turbulent life and times of Chinggis Khan

'By the Power of Eternal Heaven; By the Protection of the Majestic Imperial Fortune.'

Born a poor nomad in an unforgiving world, Chinggis (or Genghis) Khan transformed the thirteenth century, ultimately ruling an empire that would stretch from Korea to Crimea and Syria to Siberia. Much of what we know about Chinggis comes from the horrified comments of foreign chroniclers, but there is one exceptional and authentic source: The Secret History of the Mongols, written after Chinggis's death to be read exclusively by the Mongolian imperial family (hence 'secret' to all other readers).

This new translation gives an unparalleled insight into one of the transformative moments in world history and a society where unchecked swagger, menace, and ambition lay side by side with unexpected tenderness and vulnerability. Based around kinship, horses, yurts, weapons and immense spaces, The Secret History is a sometimes opaque and mysterious saga that brings the reader face to face with nomad warlords and their ladies impelled by Heaven's uncanny destiny. This remarkable new translation does full justice to the earliest surviving work written in Mongolian.

With an introduction by translator Christopher P. Atwood.
  • Published: 14 November 2023
  • ISBN: 9780241197912
  • Imprint: Penguin Classics
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 480
  • RRP: $26.99
Categories:

Praise for The Secret History of the Mongols

The Secret History of the Mongols describes in vivid detail the life and times of Chinggis Khan, not as an enemy, but as the Mongols saw themselves … This translation is a monumental event, a publishing landmark … Christopher Atwood has given the reader a translation for contemporary times. It is like a caravanserai, providing the materials needed for both scholar and general reader, organized for one's private trek through the empire.

Diane Wolff, author of The Silk Road Series

This is an important book… a contemporaneous record of one of the most astonishing and significant events in history… Atwood’s text is a masterpiece of erudition and skill… a vital resource for anyone interested in the biggest bang of the last millennium.

John Man, Literary Review

I was thrilled that Penguin Classics published a new translation of The Secret History of the Mongols by Christopher P Atwood. It’s a spectacular text and a wonderful edition that I will be wrapping several copies of.

Peter Frankopan, The Guardian Books of the Year
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