TEHRAN – A new version of Persian poet and mystic Farid ad-Din Attar’s Tadkerat al-Awlia (Saints’ Lives) corrected by poet and Persian literature scholar Mohammadreza Shafiei Kadkani has been published.

Sokhan Publications has announced that the work is available at the 32nd Tehran International Book Fair at a 15 percent discount.

The Tadkerat al-Awlia is a hagiographic account of the sayings and miraculous deeds of eminent Sufis and other religious figures from the early Islamic centuries.

Shafiei Kadkani has added descriptions of various issues in the book.

“I never claimed that I have answered all the questions of an observant reader,” Shafiei Kadkani wrote in a preface to the book.

“But, understanding various words and phrases in the book and making corrections to the materials have been one of my major concerns for over 40 years,” he added.

He also said, “Every sentence in the book is the outcome of thoughts of men of asceticism and Sufism, and each of these sentences has its unique world.”

Shafiei Kadkani, 80, is a professor at the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad and a member of the Academy of Persian Language and Literature.

Born in Neyshabur, Shafiei Kadkani rose to fame with his collection “On the Avenues of Neyshabur”.

He is also the author of “With Light and Mirror; In Quest of Roots of Iran’s Contemporary Poetry Evolution”, which reviews the impact of social and political elements on Persian poetry.  

Photo: Persian literature scholar Mohammadreza Shafiei Kadkani is seen with a copy of Persian poet and mystic Farid ad-Din Attar’s Tadkerat al-Awlia.

MMS/YAW