The Gift of Rumi

I have long had a fascination with the poetry of Rumi, which is often parallel to aspects of my own spiritual tradition. O’Dell’s introduction, translation and presentation offer the reader a fuller entre into Rumi’s writings and worldview. I find her anecdotes and background very very helpful

Having not read much Rumi, nor being very good a understand or interpreting poetry, this was helpful since it provides context and explanation of many of Rumi's poems. I expect this to be a helpful read for others as well.

Thanks very much for the free ARC for review!!

As one of the world’s most loved poets, Rumi’s poems are celebrated for their message of love and their beauty, but too often they are stripped of their mystical and spiritual meanings. The Gift of Rumi offers a new understanding of Rumi, contextualizing his work against the broader backdrop of Islamic mysticism and adding a magical richness and authenticity that is lacking in so many Westernized readings of his work.

“The main goal of Sufism is to achieve loving union with the divine by detaching from the self and the desires of the ego”.

Dervishes try to free themselves from any attachments to the ego. One of the secrets to Sufism is to “die before you die”. It is seen as an intentional rupture of one’s attachment to ego, the material world, and identity.

Essentially, Sufism teaches us “how to live and how to love”. And the happiness of the Sufi flows from within—not from the material external world.

“Know that the way of pleasure is from within, not from without.”

Rumi
At the heart of Rumi’s mystical poetry is the “religion of love” which transcends all religions. Through his majestic verses of ecstasy and longing, Rumi invites us into the religion of the heart and guides us to our own loving inner essence. The Gift of Rumi gives us a key to experiencing this profound and powerful invitation, allowing readers to meet the master in a new way.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Emily Jane O’Dell has studied Sufism both academically, in her work and research at Harvard, Columbia, and the American University of Beirut, and in practice, learning from a Mevlevi master and his whirling dervishes in Istanbul. She weaves this expertise throughout The Gift of Rumi, sharing a new vision of Rumi’s classic work.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. This book made me think about life and love. It made me look at myself in a different way while reading these poems that opened my heart up to introspection. This is a book that you will read and read again.

At the heart of Rumi’s mystical poetry is the “religion of love” which transcends all religions. Emily Jane O'Dell gives us a new perspective on the famous poet. She uses her studies and her practice of learning from a Mevlevi master. This is a wonderful book that gives us a new and necessary perspective on this poet.

This book is a really odd mix of A++ excellent translation, fascinating granular spiritual quest, and too much information. It could be that I've read just a few too many nonfiction books lately where the author's personal life was used to emphasize the points that they were making, and in some cases that's an absolute benefit, but I think I would have preferred a somewhat more detached narrative view.

I know, I know, books sell better when there's a personal angle. But the balance didn't feel quite right in this instance for some reason.

However, as I said, O'Dell is an amazing translator...or at least she seems so. I don't read Persian or Arabic, so I don't have any resources other than having read other translations. She presents deep meaning and beautiful phrasing at the same time, which is a gift.

Last, I should say that I am not entirely thrilled with her 100% dismissal of the homo-romantic/erotic reading of Rumi. It is a valid parallel reading as long as one doesn't discount the religious devotional reading. Sufism is about a deeply intimate relationship with the Almighty...but we also know that Shams left in part because Rumi had become too attached to him, and certainly for that span of work, the personal reading of the love poems seems deeply relevant.