“This reimagining of Goethe’s seminal work gives us the opportunity to re-engage with his thoughts—a much-needed exercise, given the state of the world today.”
—From the Forward to A New Divan, by Daniel Barenboim
This collection of poetry and essays continues a “lyrical dialog” between the West and the Islamic world begun 200 years ago by the German poet and polymath
. Captivated by a collection of poems by 14th-century Persian poet Hafiz, Goethe in 1819 wrote
: 12 volumes of poetry, with notes and essays, aimed at broadening Western views on the Islamic world. Two centuries later,
brings together today’s poets (12 from the Islamic world and 12 from the West) and six essayists, to continue the dialog Goethe began with Hafiz. The compilation explores the challenges of translating poetry, including the writings of Goethe, Hafiz and
(pre-Islamic and modern). English translations are furnished for poems in Arabic, Persian, Turkish and European tongues.
—Robert W. Lebling
