The Ocean of the Soul

Men, the World and God in the Stories of Far?d al-D?n ‘At?t??r
Erscheinungsjahr 2003
ISBN: 978-90-04-12068-6
Verlag: Brill Academic Publishers

Buch, Englisch, Band 69, 834 Seiten, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 1640 g

Reihe: Handbook of Oriental Studies. Section 1 The Near and Middle East

The Ocean of the Soul is one of the great works of the German Orientalist Hellmut Ritter (1892-1971). It presents a comprehensive analysis of the writings of the mystical Persian poet Far?d al-D?n ‘At?t??r who is thought to have died at an advanced age in April 1221 when the Mongols destroyed his home city of N?sh?p?r in the north-east of Iran. The book, which resulted from decades of investigation of literary and historical sources, was first published in 1955 and has since remained unsurpassed not only as the definitive study of ‘At?t??r's world of ideas but as an indispensable guide to understanding pre-modern Islamic literature in general.
Quoting at length from ‘At?t??r and other Islamic sources, Ritter sketches an extraordinarily vivid portrait of the Islamic attitude toward life, characteristic developments in pious and ascetic circles, and, in conclusion, various dominant mystical currents of thought and feeling.
Special attention is given to a wide range of views on love, love in all its manifestations, including homosexuality and the commonplace s?f? adoration of good-looking youths. Ritter's approach is throughout based onprecise philological interpretation of primary sources, several of which he has himself made available in critical editions.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Radtke, Bernd

Weitere Mitwirkende

O'Kane, John

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Islam & Islamische Studien Islam & Islamische Studien
• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Sonstige Religionen Sonstige Religionen: Spiritualität, Mystik

Über Autor(innen)

John O'Kane, B.A. (1963) in Classics, Princeton University, is an independent scholar. His translations include The Secrets of God's Mystical Oneness (Mazda, 1992), Fritz Meier, Essays on Islamic Piety and Mysticism (Brill, 1999) and The Feats of the Knowers of God (Man?qeb al-‘?refin) by Shams al-Din Ah?mad-e Afl?k? (Brill, 2002).