Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute is delighted to congratulate Dr. Fatemeh Keshavarz, Roshan Institute Chair in Persian Studies and Director of Roshan Institute for Persian Studies at the University of Maryland, on her forthcoming book entitled Lyrics of Life: Sa’di on Love, Cosmopolitanism and Care of the Self.
This imaginative and accessible study of the lyrical, humorous, social and educational aspects of classical Persian poetry focuses on the works of the master medieval poet Sa’di of Shiraz (d. 1291), one of the funniest, most influential and lyrical figures in classical Persian poetry. Sa’di, a prominent ethicist and a devout teacher of virtues, stands out for his worldliness, his practical teachings, and his love for living a wholesome life, as well as for his signature elegance and artistry that has compelled critics to call his lyrics perfectly polished diamonds.
Dr. Keshavarz is a published poet and author of six books including Reading Mystical Lyric: the Case of Jalal al-Din Rumi, Recite in the Name of the Red Rose: Poetic Sacred Making in Twentieth Century Iran and Jasmine and Stars: Reading More than Lolita in Tehran. Lyrics of Life will be published by the Edinburgh University Press as part of the Edinburgh Studies in Classical Islamic History and Culture E on January 1, 2015.
