The Essential Rumi, New Expanded Edition

Rumi (1207–1273) is the foremost Sufi poet, famous for his lyrics and for his didactic epic Masnavi, a collection of mystical tales and discourse. Rumi lived in the Seldjuk capital Konya, and his influence on literature, carried by his Sufism, spread with the expansion of the Ottoman Empire and lasted centuries.

Robertson Dean has played leading roles on and off Broadway and at dozens of regional theaters. He has a BA from Tufts University and an MFA from Yale. His audiobook narration has garnered numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards.

Coleman Barks is a poet and the bestselling author of The Essential Rumi, The Soul of Rumi, and Rumi: The Book of Love. Although he neither speaks nor reads Persian, he is nonetheless renowned as an interpreter of Rumi and other mystic poets of Persia. He was prominently featured in both of Bill Moyers’ PBS television series on poetry, The Language of Life and Fooling with Words. He taught English and poetry at the University of Georgia for many years, and now focuses on writing, readings, and performances. He lives in Athens, Georgia.