Layli and Majnun

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Layli and Majnun

By: Nezami Ganjavi, Dick Davis - translator, Dick Davis - introduction, Dick Davis

Narrated by: Dick Davis, Peter Ganim, Serena Manteghi, Sean Rohani

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About this listen

The Persian epic that inspired Eric Clapton's unforgettable love song "Layla" and that Lord Byron called "the Romeo and Juliet of the East," in a masterly new translation

The iconic love story of the Middle East, by a twelfth-century Persian poet who has been compared to Shakespeare for his subtlety, inventiveness, and dramatic force, Layli and Majnun tells of star-crossed lovers whose union is tragically thwarted by their families and whose passion continues to ripple out across the centuries. Theirs is a love that lasts a lifetime, and in Nezami's immortal telling, erotic longing blends with spiritual self-denial in an allegory of Sufi aspiration, as the amenities of civilization give way to the elemental wilderness, desire is sublimated into a mystical renunciation of the physical world, and the soul confronts its essence. This is a tour de force of Persian literature, in a translation that captures the extraordinary power and virtuosity of the original.

This audiobook includes a PDF that contains notes from the book.

Nezami GanjaviDick Davis - translatorDick Davis - introductionDick DavisDick DavisPeter GanimSerena ManteghiSean RohaniPenguin Audio

Ancient, Classical & Medieval Literature

Classics

Fantasy

Middle Eastern

Poetry

World Literature

Middle East

Persian Poetry

Ancient, Classical & Medieval Literature Classics Fantasy Middle Eastern Poetry World Literature Middle East Persian Poetry

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Critic reviews

“A highly engaging tale of impossible love . . . The first verse translation of the 12th-century Persian poet Nezami . . . Davis’s rhythmic translation is full of lush imagery.” ―Publishers Weekly

“Nezami . . . paints a visionary world full of erotic tension and trepidation which is both sublimated and enriched with psychological chiaroscuro.” ―Italo Calvino

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This is a magnificent production: Dick Davis distinguishes himself by his translation of this complex poetry into rhyming pentameters, and all three readers handle them superbly. Davis’s introduction is helpful and informative, and highlights areas of potential difficulty for first-time listeners; moralising, for example, and the occasional inconsistency in the story. I await more beautiful productions like this one.