Review of Poetry and Mysticism in Islam: The Heritage of Rumi

The Giorgio Levi Delia Vida Medal, awarded by the Gustave E. von Grunebaum Center for Near Eastern Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, is the most prestigious American award in Islamic studies, in part because it recognizes a lifetime contribution to the field. Annemarie Schimmel, the eleventh recipient of the medal, chose Rumi as the theme of the conference held in her honor in 1987. The proceedings of that conference contain introductions by Georges Sabagh and Amin Banani and seven excellent papers. Poetry and Mysticism in Islam serves as a brilliant meditation on the legacy of Rumi, which could be used, along with William C. Chittick's translations, as the textbook for a course on Rumi.