Refreshing readings of Islam's most popular poet"A stimulating and original study of the most important body of Persian mystical poetry. It is refreshing to see a 'classical' Middle Eastern text enlivened by the kind of analysis and comparison that is made possible by using categories of contemporary literary criticism. (Keshavarz) succeeds admirably. This is a breath of fresh air". -- Carl W. Ernst, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillJalal al-Din Rumi, a towering figure in the Persian-speaking world, is currently the most widely published poet in English translation. Yet despite the popularity of his verse, the majority of scholarship on his work focuses not on Rumi's poetry but on his contributions as a mystic. Fatemeh Keshavarz's pioneering study is the first extensive critical examination of Rumi's vast, dynamic body of literature.

Through close readings of the Divan, his collection of more than 35,000 lyric verses, she explores Rumi's extraordinary popular and critical literary success.Rather than simply catalogue the images and concepts used by Rural, Keshavarz employs a new critical approach that she describes as "observing the poems in action". This approach, based equally on classical Persian sources and on modern western critical thought, demonstrates how the poet's use of paradox, manipulation of silence, innovation in rhythm, and experimentation with the "wondrous birds" imagery result in a literary enactment of love rather than a mere portrayal of it.Keshavarz underscores the fact that while Rumi the compelling mystic and composer of didactic works has been well studied, the creative genius and writer of colorful lyrics has remained unrecognizedand overshadowed. By emphasizing the playful ambience and childlike freshness of his verse, she invites the reader to join in his whirling of words and to behold an entirely new face of the beloved poet.