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Rumi's World: The Life and Works of the Greatest Sufi Poet (Shambhala dragon editions) Kindle Edition
by Annemarie Schimmel (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 18 ratings
Part of: Shambhala Dragon Editions (17 books)
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This book (previously published as I Am Wind, You Are Fire) celebrates the extraordinary career of Persia's great mystical poet, Rumi (1207–1273), through the story of his life, along with an enlightening examination of his ecstatic verse. Rumi lived the quiet life of a religious teacher in Anatolia until the age of thirty-seven, when he came under the influence of a whirling dervish, Shams Tabriz, and was moved to a state of mystical ecstasy. One of the results of this ecstasy was a prodigious output of poems about the search for the lost Divine Beloved, whom Rumi identified with Shams. To symbolize this search, Rumi also invented the famous whirling dance of the Melevi dervishes, which are performed accompanied by the chanting of Rumi's poems. Professor Schimmel illuminates the symbolism and significance of Rumi's vast output and offers her own translations of some of his most famous poems.
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Review
"Annemarie Schimmel has been immersed in Rumi for over forty years. Her scholarship and devotion are magnificent. She has a deep understanding of the poems, the mystical puns, the music, and the dancy inner meanings of Rumi's work."--Coleman Barks, author of The Essential Rumi. --This text refers to the paperback edition.
About the Author
Annemarie Schimmel is an international authority on Islamic religion and literature and especially the works of Rumi. The author of over seventy books, she is now retired from Harvard University and the University of Bonn but continues to lecture worldwide. --This text refers to the paperback edition.
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Top reviews from other countries
Emma Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars Rumi belongs to the Islamic world view. . .
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 24 February 2015
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Rumi was a Muslim. ..
Let's be clear about this. With all the fuss about Rumi and the whole New Age Sufi thing, it is all too easy to forget that Rumi was a Muslim. Rumi was the sort of person he was because he was a Muslim and not inspite of that fact. He founded the Muslim Sufi order that today in the 21st century is the largest Sufi order in the world. . .the Mevlevi (popularly known as the whirling dervishes). We should all remember the fact that we are talking about the impact of a Muslim who lead an order of passionate Muslims in the thirteenth century. . .and has a such a following today. The names of extremist terrorists acting in the name of Islam today will not be remembered, let alone have a following. . . a hundred years from now. Professor Schimmel places Rumi squarely in the Islamic perspective, which is where he belongs. This book provides the best short introduction to his life and thought within that context.
Teachers and Librarians:
Suitable for 9th grade to adult. . . social studies/language arts
11 people found this helpful
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JohnG
1.0 out of 5 stars Reductionist Rumi
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 20 September 2007
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I am not sure I should write this review, since I have been unable to finish the book so far. The author's pedigree is also intimidating. Yet this book is a cold emotionless dissection, mostly uninteresting except for an academic who has long lost the sense of who or what he's studying. The book takes Rumi apart like a corpse on a slab. To get through it so far, I've escaped periodically to Coleman Bark's Essential Rumi. His brief introduction and forward alone provides more insight into what Rumi is about than the three-quarters of the book I've managed to struggle through so far.
Prodded on by the other reviews to the suspicion that I may have missed something here, I plan to finish the book and reread it again. Yet I should warn others that reading this book as an introduction to Rumi may be like viewing a bearskin rug as an introduction to wildlife. After a reread, I will revisit this review, perhaps reedit it at that time.
Sept.07
8 people found this helpful
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Pablo
2.0 out of 5 stars This is not the work of Rumi, it's only the author's interpretations and historical recollection
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 31 October 2007
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I expected to get a transcript of the actual works from Rumi to read and interpret myself. That is not the case with this book. While it does provide the historical context (that's why I gave him 2 stars instead of 1), the author feeds his views and opinions in front of the actual text by Rumi. My opinion of the author's style is poor, at best.
6 people found this helpful
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Maria
3.0 out of 5 stars I am sure people who are more into history and sociology will enjoy it more
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 26 May 2015
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I suppose I was expecting to read Ruumi's words a bit more. It is informative and interesting, but it did not grab me. I am sure people who are more into history and sociology will enjoy it more.
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Diane, Designer
4.0 out of 5 stars Lovely introduction to the poet.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 6 October 2013
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After a few friends were quoting from Rumi I decided to investigate the poet and this was the first book I bought . A lovely introduction to the poet.
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