Setting a benchmark in Rumi Studies, this award-winning work examines the background, the legacy, and the continuing significance of this thirtheenth- century mystic, who is today's best-selling poet in the United States.

Setting a benchmark in Rumi Studies, this award-winning work examines the background, the legacy, and the continuing significance of this thirtheenth- century mystic, who is today the best-selling poet in the United States. Franklin. D. Lewis has drawn on a vast array of sources, from writings of the poet himself to the latest scholarly literature, to produce this detailed survey of Rumi's life and work. In addition to offering fresh perspectives on the philosophical and spiritual context in which Rumi was writing, and providing in-depth analysis of his teachings, Lewis pays particular attention to why Rumi continues to enjoy such a huge following in the West. Also featured in this ground- breaking study are new translations of over fifty of Rumi's poems and never before seen prose, together with extensive commentaries and a full annotated bibliography of works by and about Rumi.