The acclaimed New York Times bestselling author of Smash Cut, Flannery, and City Poet delivers the first popular biography of Rumi, the thirteenth-century Persian poet revered by contemporary Western readers. Ecstatic love poems of Rumi, a Persian poet and Sufi mystic born over eight centuries ago, are beloved by millions of readers in America as well as around the world. He has been compared to Shakespeare for his outpouring of creativity and to Saint Francis of Assisi for his spiritual wisdom. Yet his life has long remained the stuff of legend rather than intimate knowledge. In this breakthrough biography, Brad Gooch brilliantly brings to life the man and puts a face to the name Rumi, vividly coloring in his time and place—a world as rife with conflict as our own. The map of Rumi’s life stretched over 2,500 miles. Gooch traces this epic journey from Central Asia, where Rumi was born in 1207, traveling with his family, displaced by Mongol terror, to settle in Konya, Turkey. Pivotal was the disruptive appearance of Shams of Tabriz, who taught him to whirl and transformed him from a respectable Muslim preacher into a poet and mystic. Their vital connection as teacher and pupil, friend and beloved, is one of the world’s greatest spiritual love stories. When Shams disappeared, Rumi coped with the pain of separation by composing joyous poems of reunion, both human and divine. Ambitious, bold, and beautifully written, Rumi’s Secret reveals the unfolding of Rumi’s devotion to a "religion of love," remarkable in his own time and made even more relevant for the twenty-first century by this compelling account.

THREE GREAT SUFI POETS OF KASHMIRLalla Ded, Nund Rishi, Ghani Kashmiri Selected PoemsTranslation & Introduction Paul SmithLalla Ded is the famous female poet/saint from Kashmir who lived at exactly the same time as Hafiz of Shiraz (1320-1392). Her vakhs (poems/sayings) are sung even today in Kashmir. She was married at a young age but the marriage was a failure and she walked out at the age of twenty-four. She became a disciple of Siddha Srikanth. It must have taken a lot of courage on her part to walk out of a marriage and to walk around unclothed as she did. She was treated with contempt by some and much reverence by others, seeing her as a saint and eventually as God-realized. Her two hundred vakhs are some of the oldest examples of Kashmiri written. She was a bridge between Hindu mysticism and Sufism. Nund Rishi ('Rishi' meaning Kashmiri Sufi) or Shaikh Nur ud-din, as he was afterwards named, was born at Kaimuh, a village two miles to the west of Bijbihara in Kashmir in 1377. He used his poetry as tool to spread the knowledge of the absolute and criticized the mullas and other pseudo-scholars and gave expression to the lives of the common people. He also composed many poems on the pitfalls of the spiritual path and on the love of the devotee for God. His poetry is called Shruks that are poems in the rhyme structure of A-B, A-B. The Rishi order is a Sufi tradition of religious harmony and it was founded by among others Nund Rishi. He was popular as a Sufi Perfect Master in Kashmir in his lifetime and still is. Ghani Kasmiri (1610-1668) is Kashmir's greatest Sufi poet of the Persian language. His teacher & spiritual master was another great Sufi & poet Mushin Fani. Ghani was visited in Kashmir by Sa'ib, Kalim & Qudsi, along with Ghani some of the most influential poets of the new style of Indian Persian poetry (Sabk-e-Hindi). Ghani led a simple life often in seclusion and never wrote for royalty or the rich. He exposed corruption and sang of truth, love and beauty in ghazals and ruba'is that are unique. Both Ghalib and Iqbal were influenced by him and sang his praises. These are the largest version of their poems in English keeping the correct rhyme structure of the originals. Introduction on htheir Life & Times & Poetry and on the forms of Poetry. Selected Bibliographies. Large Format Paperback 7" x 10" 434 pages. Paul Smith is a poet, author and translator of many books of Sufi poets from the Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Pashtu and other languages including Hafiz, Sadi, Nizami, Rumi, 'Attar, Sana'i, Jahan Khatun, Obeyd Zakani, Mu'in, Amir Khusrau, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre. Lalla Ded, Mahsati and others, and his own poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, children's books, screenplays.www.newhumanitybooks.com

Chosen by author Elizabeth Gilbert as one of her ten favorite books, Daniel Ladinsky’s extraordinary renderings of 250 unforgettable lyrical poems by Hafiz, one of the greatest Sufi poets of all time More than any other Persian poet—even Rumi—Hafiz expanded the mystical, healing dimensions of poetry. Because his poems were often ecstatic love songs from God to his beloved world, many have called Hafiz the “Invisible Tongue.” Indeed, Daniel Ladinsky has said that his work with Hafiz is an attempt to do the impossible: to render Light into words—to make the Luminous Resonance of God tangible to our finite senses. I am a hole in a flute that the Christ's breath moves through— listen to this music! With this stunning collection of Hafiz’s most intimate poems, Ladinsky has succeeded brilliantly in presenting the essence of one of Islam’s greatest poetic and religious voices. Each line of The Gift imparts the wonderful qualities of this master Sufi poet and spiritual teacher: encouragement, an audacious love that touches lives, profound knowledge, generosity, and a sweet, playful genius unparalleled in world literature.

SEVEN GREAT FEMALE SUFI POETS Rabi'a Basri, Mahsati, Jahan Khatun, 'Aishah al-Ba'uniyah, Lalla Ded, Makhfi, Hayati. Translation & Introduction Paul Smith This is the largest anthology of female Sufi poets of the Middle East & India in the correct form of the poetry and the meaning. Here are poems full of longing, loving, faith and despair, pain and bliss, realization and depression... always honest, always real and at times... inspiring and helpful on the spiritual path. Here are Sufis, dervishes, princesses, a naked Sufi fakir, prisoners, lovers, devotees... but, always, lovers of the Beloved One Who unites us all. These poems were composed in Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Kashmiri. THE POETS: Rabi'a of Basra, Rabi'a Balkhi, Mahsati, Jahan Khatun, 'Aishah al-Ba'uniyah, Lalla Ded, Makhfi, Hayati. Biographies and 'Further Reading' begin each selection. Introduction on The Main Forms in the Poetry of These Women Poets and Sufis & Dervishes: Their Art & Use of Poetry. Large Format 7" x 10" Pages 368. COMMENTS ON PAUL SMITH'S TRANSLATION OF HAFIZ'S 'DIVAN'. "It is not a joke... the English version of ALL the ghazals of Hafiz is a great feat and of paramount importance. I am astonished." Dr. Mir Mohammad Taghavi (Dr. of Literature) Tehran. "Superb translations. 99% Hafiz 1% Paul Smith." Ali Akbar Shapurzman, translator and knower of Hafiz's Divan off by heart. "Smith has probably put together the greatest collection of literary facts and history concerning Hafiz." Daniel Ladinsky (Penguin Books author). Paul Smith is a poet, author and translator of many books of Sufi poets of the Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Pashtu and other languages including Hafiz, Sadi, Nizami, Rumi, 'Attar, Sana'i, Jahan Khatun, Obeyd Zakani, Mu'in, Amir Khusrau, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre, Shah Latif, Bulleh Shah, Lalla Ded, Iqbal, Ghalib and many others, and his own poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, children's books and screenplays. www.newhumanitybooksbookheaven.com

AL-SHUSHTARI The Great Sufi Poet of Andalusia SELECTED POEMS Translation & Introduction by Paul Smith Abu al-Hasan al-Shushtari (1312-1369) was a Sufi poet who was born in Guadix, northwest of Granada, Spain. As a young man he travelled to Tunisia, Algeria, Damascus and several times made the pilgrimage to Mecca. He finally settled in Egypt. He became a devotee of the Sufi Master Ibn Sab'in who was four years younger than him and was widely respected at that time. They first met in Algeria when in their thirties and later went together to Mecca and Egypt. Al-Shushtari composed two treatises on Sufism and dedicated three poems to his spiritual Master. Often when walking or riding the poet would sing his poems and play an instrument as he did so. In his latter days he had many disciples. He was influenced by the great Sufi Perfect Master Ibn 'Arabi although he expressed at times criticism of the complicated nature of his teachings, preferring a simpler explanation. Al-Shushtari's true legacy lives on in the heart of men who still sing his poems and celebrate his memory. In the Delta of Egypt, followers of the Shadhiliyya Order still recite his zajal, while in Tunisia his words are sung to the tones of a musical instrument bearing his name, 'al-Sustariyya.' In Morocco his songs are a common denominator to several Sufi celebrations, and in Spain he is regarded as a trendsetter in Andalusian literature and is better known as 'The Juggler of Love.' Most of his poems are in the forms of qasidas, ghazals, qit'as, muwashasha, zajal: all here in the correct form & meaning. Introduction: Life, Times & Poetry, on Sufi Poetry & forms of poetry in which he wrote. Selected Bibliography. Large Print (16pt & Large Format (8x10) Edition 190 pages. Paul Smith (b. 1945) is a poet, author and translator of many books of Sufi poets of the Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Pashtu and other languages including Hafiz, Sadi, Nizami, Rumi, 'Attar, Sana'i, Jahan Khatun, Obeyd Zakani, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre, Lalla Ded, Seemab, Jigar, Seemab and many others, as well as his poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, children's books, screenplays. amazon.com/author/smithpa

DIWAN of HALI The Great Urdu Sufi Poet Translation & Introduction Paul Smith Khwaja Altaf Hussain Hali (1837-1914) has a special place in Urdu literature. He was poet, critic, teacher, reformer and prose-writer. He had no formal education yet he acquired through his own efforts Urdu, Persian and Arabic and a good knowledge of English. As a poet he did not confine himself to the ghazal, but successfully composed in the form of the nazm, ruba'i and marsie or elegy. His poetic abilities were used to high aims of social and moral education. His wrote a pioneering work of literary criticism that dwells on the limitations of the traditional ghazal. He also wrote biographies of Ghalib and Sadi of Shiraz and others. In his poetry and prose he preferred a simple, natural style, that made him accessible to all at the time and now. This is the largest collection of his ruba'is and ghazals in the correct form in English. Introduction on Hali's Life & Poetry & Times and the Form, Function & History of the Ruba'i. Sufism in Poetry.' The Ghazal, Selected Bibliography. Large Format Paperback 7" x 10" Pages 224 COMMENTS ON PAUL SMITH'S TRANSLATION OF HAFIZ'S 'DIVAN'. "It is not a joke... the English version of ALL the ghazals of Hafiz is a great feat and of paramount importance. I am astonished.." Dr. Mir Mohammad Taghavi (Dr. of Literature) Tehran. "Superb translations. 99% Hafiz 1% Paul Smith." Ali Akbar Shapurzman, translator from English into Persian, knower of Hafiz's Divan off by heart. Paul Smith (b. 1945) is a poet, author and translator of many books of Sufi poets from the Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Pashtu and other languages... including Hafiz, Sadi, Nizami, 'Attar, Sana'i, Jahan Khatun, Obeyd Zakani, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Khayyam, Rudaki, Bulleh Shah, Shah Latif, Mansur Hallaj, Yunus Emre, Mu'in, Ibn Farid, Lalla Ded, Mahsati, Abu Said, Ghalib, Nazir, Iqbal, Inayat Khan, Abu Nuwas, Jigar, Seemab, Dard, Urfi, and many others, as well as poetry, fiction, plays, children's books, biographies and screenplays. www.newhumanitybooks.com

Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi, a 13th-centry Persian Sufi poet, is one of the most widely-read poets today. This volume offers a comprehensive package of information and reflections on Rumi's life, poetry, and vision draws on original works in Persian including Rumi's own poetry and historical texts.

TWO MASTER SUFI POETS & FRIENDS OF DELHI AMIR KHUSRAU & HASAN DEHLAVI Selected Poems & BiographiesTranslation & Introduction Paul SmithIn Delhi in the 13th century the great Sufi Master Nizam al-Din Auliya of the Chistiyya order had two famous disciples who were also poets: Amir Khusrau, the 'Parrot of India' and Hasan Dehlavi, the 'Sadi of India' who remained close friends all their lives. Amir Khusrau composed over 90 books and was a musician who invented the sitar as well as being an historian, and many other occupations... a truly 'universal man'. He too eventually became a Spiritual Master. He was influential on Hafiz of Shiraz who copied his ghazals and was probably the founder of the Urdu language. He composed ghazals, ruba'is, many masnavis and in most other forms of Persian poetry. Hasan Dehlavi born in the same year as Khusrau was a supreme master of the ghazal and also composed a famous book of stories and sayings of their Spiritual Master, Nizam al-Din Auliya. The large selection of poetry translated of both poets is in the correct rhyme structure & meaning. Introduction: The Spiritual Master of the Two Poets, Sufis & Dervishes: Their Art and Use of Poetry, Some of the Persian Poetic Forms Used by the Poets, Biographies & Selected Bibliographies. Large Format Paperback, 7" x 10" 355 pages.COMMENTS ON PAUL SMITH'S TRANSLATION OF HAFIZ'S 'DIVAN'."It is not a joke... the English version of ALL the ghazals of Hafiz is a great feat and of paramount importance. " Dr. Mir Mohammad Taghavi (Dr. of Literature) Tehran."Superb translations. 99% Hafiz 1% Paul Smith." Ali Akbar Shapurzman, translator of works in English into Persian and knower of Hafiz's Divan off by heart."I was very impressed with the beauty of these books." Dr. R.K. Barz. Faculty of Asian Studies, Australian National University. "Smith has probably put together the greatest collection of literary facts and history concerning Hafiz." Daniel Ladinsky (Penguin Books author). "I have never seen such a good translation and I would like to write a book in Farsi and introduce his Introduction to Iranians." Mr B. Khorramshai, Academy of Philosophy, Tehran.Paul Smith is a poet, author and translator of many books of Sufi poets from the Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Pashtu and other languages... including Hafiz, Sadi, Nizami, 'Attar, Sana'i, Jahan Khatun, Obeyd Zakani, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Khayyam, Rudaki, Bulleh Shah, Shah Latif, Mansur Hallaj, Yunus Emre, Mu'in, Ibn Farid, Lalla Ded, Mahsati, Abu Said, Ghalib, Nazir, Iqbal, Inayat Khan and many others, as well as poetry, fiction, plays, children's books, biographies and screenplays. www.newhumanitybooks.com

DIVAN OF JAHAN MALEK KHATUN Persia's Great Female Sufi Poet Translation & Introduction Paul Smith Daughter of the king of one of Shiraz's most turbulent times (14th century) Masud Shah; pupil and lifelong friend of the world's greatest mystical, lyric poet, Hafiz of Shiraz; the object of crazed desire by (among others) Persia's greatest satirist, the obscene, outrageous, visionary poet Obeyd Zakani; lover, then wife of womanizer Amin al-Din a minister of one of Persia's most loved, debauched and tragic rulers Abu Ishak; imprisoned for twenty years while her daughter mysteriously died; open-minded and scandalous... the beautiful, petite princess who abdicated her royalty twice; one of Persia's greatest classical lyric Sufi poets... whose Divan is four times the size of Hafiz's, Jahan Malek Khatun. Correct rhyme-structure is kept and beauty and meaning of these often mystical, poems... including ghazals, ruba'is, qit'as, elegies for her daughter and a famous tarji-band (strophe poem). Largest ever translation. Long introduction is on her Life, Times & Poetry and there is a unique Preface by herself, a chapter on the forms of poetry she used. Selected bibliography. Large Format Paperback "7 x 10" 329 pages. COMMENTS ON PAUL SMITH'S TRANSLATION OF HAFIZ'S 'DIVAN'. "It is not a joke... the English version of ALL the ghazals of Hafiz is a great feat and of paramount importance. I am astonished." Dr. Mir Mohammad Taghavi (Dr. of Literature) Tehran. "Superb translations. 99% Hafiz 1% Paul Smith." Ali Akbar Shapurzman, translator into Persian and knower of Hafiz's Divan off by heart. "Smith has probably put together the greatest collection of literary facts and history concerning Hafiz." Daniel Ladinsky (Penguin Books author). Paul Smith (b.1945) is a poet, author and translator of many books of Sufi poets of the Persian, Arabic, Urdu, and other languages including Hafiz, Sadi, Nizami, Rumi, 'Attar, Sana'i, Jahan Khatun, Obeyd Zakani, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Ghalib, Jami, Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre, Lalla Ded, Mu'in, Seemab, Jigar, Abu Nuwas, Ibn al-Farid, Iqbal and others, as well as poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, children's books, twelve screenplays. www.newhumanitybooks.com