Having studied theater arts in Tehran and New York, Malikpour (U. of Canberra), describes the Islamic drama of Iran that enacts the suffering and death of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet, in 680 AD on the plain of Karbala near Baghdad. It contains many elements drawn from religion, mythology, folklore, and traditional form of Iranian entertainment, he says, and though it developed over a long period, emerged in its full theatrical form in the middle of the 18th century, then declined under western and nationalist attacks. Distributed in the US by Taylor & Francis. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)