The Conference of the Birds

by Farid ud-Din Attar, Afkham Darbandi (Translator), Dick Davis (Translator), Dick Davis (Introduction)

Overview

Composed in the twelfth century in north-eastern Iran, Attar's great mystical poem is among the most significant of all works of Persian literature. A marvellous, allegorical rendering of the Islamic doctrine of Sufism - an esoteric system concerned with the search for truth through God - it describes the consequences of the conference of the birds of the world when they meet to begin the search for their ideal king, the Simorgh bird. On hearing that to find him they must undertake an arduous journey, the birds soon express their reservations to their leader, the hoopoe. With eloquence and insight, however, 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 deep belief into magnificent poetry.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780140444346
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	07/03/1984
Series:	Penguin Classics Series
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	281,738
Product dimensions:	5.07(w) x 7.76(h) x 0.69(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Dick Davis is currently professor of Persian at Ohio State University and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. His translations from Persian include The Lion and the Throne, Fathers and Sons, Sunset of Empire: Stories from the Shahnameh of Ferdowsi, Vols. I, II, III.

Dick Davis is currently professor of Persian at Ohio State University and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. His translations from Persian include The Lion and the Throne, Fathers and Sons, Sunset of Empire: Stories from the Shahnameh of Ferdowsi, Vols. I, II, III.

Table of Contents

The Conference of the Birds - Farid ud-Din Attar Translated with an Introduction by Afkham Darbandi and Dick Davis

Introduction
The Conference of the Birds
Biographical Index

What People are Saying About This

David Azzolina

“This felicitous translation is a classic and reaches the widest possible audience.”

Editorial Reviews

This felicitous translation is a classic and reaches the widest possible audience.” — David Azzolina, Assistant Professor, University of Pennsylvania

From the Publisher

This felicitous translation is a classic and reaches the widest possible audience.

David Azzolina