A beautiful hardcover edition of the great medieval mystical poem that is among the most significant works of Persian literature
Composed in the twelfth century in what is now northeastern Iran, The Conference of the Birds is a marvelous, allegorical rendering of the Islamic philosophical tradition of Sufism, whose followers seek a spiritual path to mystical union with the divine.
The epic poem describes a gathering of the birds of the world who meet to begin the search for their ideal king, the Simorgh bird. On hearing that they must undertake an arduous journey to the summit of Mount Kaf, the birds express reservations to their leader, the hoopoe. With eloquence and insight, the hoopoe calms their fears, using a series of riddling parables to provide guidance in the search for spiritual truth. By turns witty and profound, The Conference of the Birds transforms profound belief into magnificent poetry.
Everyman's Library pursues the highest production standards, printing on acid-free cream-colored paper, with full-cloth cases with two-color foil stamping, decorative endpapers, silk ribbon markers, European-style half-round spines, and a full-color illustrated jacket. Everyman's Library editions include an introduction, a select bibliography, and a chronology of the author's life and times.
Farid ud-Din Attar, (c.1145–c.1221), also known as Attar of Nishapur, was an immensely influential Persian poet and Sufi philosopher. He wrote lyrical poems and long poems in the tradition of Islamic mysticism, as well as a prose collection of biographies and sayings of famous Muslim mystics. The Conference of the Birds, Book of the Divine, and Memorial of the Saints are among his best-known works.
About the Translator and Editor: Dick Davis is an English–American poet, university professor, and award-winning translator of Persian poetry both ancient and modern. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, Davis is also a highly acclaimed poet in his own right. He retired from Ohio State University in 2012.
A beautiful hardcover edition of the great medieval mystical poem that is among the most significant works of Persian literature
Composed in the twelfth century in what is now northeastern Iran, The Conference of the Birds is a marvelous, allegorical rendering of the Islamic philosophical tradition of Sufism, whose followers seek a spiritual path to mystical union with the divine.
The epic poem describes a gathering of the birds of the world who meet to begin the search for their ideal king, the Simorgh bird. On hearing that they must undertake an arduous journey to the summit of Mount Kaf, the birds express reservations to their leader, the hoopoe. With eloquence and insight, the hoopoe calms their fears, using a series of riddling parables to provide guidance in the search for spiritual truth. By turns witty and profound, The Conference of the Birds transforms profound belief into magnificent poetry.
Everyman's Library pursues the highest production standards, printing on acid-free cream-colored paper, with full-cloth cases with two-color foil stamping, decorative endpapers, silk ribbon markers, European-style half-round spines, and a full-color illustrated jacket. Everyman's Library editions include an introduction, a select bibliography, and a chronology of the author's life and times.
Creators
Farid ud-Din Attar, (c.1145–c.1221), also known as Attar of Nishapur, was an immensely influential Persian poet and Sufi philosopher. He wrote lyrical poems and long poems in the tradition of Islamic mysticism, as well as a prose collection of biographies and sayings of famous Muslim mystics. The Conference of the Birds, Book of the Divine, and Memorial of the Saints are among his best-known works.
About the Translator and Editor: Dick Davis is an English–American poet, university professor, and award-winning translator of Persian poetry both ancient and modern. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, Davis is also a highly acclaimed poet in his own right. He retired from Ohio State University in 2012.
