Layli and Majnun Paperback – February 9, 2021

This book was a wonderfully pleasant surprise—a twelfth-century Persian epic/romance/sufi meditation, etc. The translation (rhyming iambic pentameter couplets!) flows charmingly, and is full of rich simile and metaphor. And the story itself is grand. Byron did it an injustice when he compared the tale to Romeo and Juliet. The story is much more profound and thoughtful than the tale of those delinquent teenagers. When I got to the end I wanted to just start reading again from the beginning.

This is a great translation

Layli and Majnun is one of the most endeared, enduring, and tragic love stories in the Persian world and beyond. It is written by the 12th-century prolific Persian poet Nezami Ganjavi. Dick Davis has rendered it into an equally fluent, eloquent, poetic form. It is not hyperbole to say that Mr. Davis is one of the most capable and knowledgeable Persian translators with a unique ability to identify the beauty and magnitude of classical Persian literature. Both first-time and long-time readers of this noble text will find this edition a delightful read.