Chasing Rumi: A Fable About Finding the Heart's True Desire - Hardcover

Housden, Roger

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060084456 ISBN 13: 9780060084455

Publisher: Harper San Francisco, 2002

Synopsis

Inspired by the poetry of Rumi, the great Sufi mystic, a restless young man heads out on an epic voyage of the heart that takes him from the hills of Florence to the mosques of Konya, Turkey, and into the heart of religious mysticism.

About this title

About the Author

Roger Housden isthe author of several books of nonfiction, including Fire in the Heart, Sacred America, and his new bestselling book, Ten Poems to Change Your Life. He lives with his wife, Maria, in Woodstock, New York. This is his first novel.

Reviews

Housden (Ten Poems to Change Your Life) adds a mystical twist to a young man's search for love in this spare, allegorical tale of a Greek icon painter living in 1950s Italy who makes a pilgrimage to the tomb of 13th-century Sufi poet Jelaluddin Rumi. Aesthete Georgiou loves art and beauty, but is frustrated by his inability to find a worthy love in his native Florence. Dazzled by a book of Rumi's poems, Georgiou hopes that a journey to the poet's tomb at Konya, Turkey, will teach him something about love. His meandering trip takes him to a monastery in Meteora, Greece; to the shrine of Delphi, where he has a vision of the Virgin Mary, who poses a riddle that holds the key to his quest; and to other sites in Greece and Turkey, where he meets Orthodox priests, mystics, sheikhs and dervishes who teach him that romance between a man and a woman is not the only kind of love there is, and that accumulating knowledge doesn't necessarily help one to experience or understand love. Housden is a graceful storyteller and he offers an offbeat look at the relationship between divine love and earthly romantic love. Unfortunately, he tends to slip into treacly, bland affirmations ("All is already well. Listen to what your heart tells you, and you cannot stray far"), and the tidy, happily-ever-after ending belies some of the complicated questions about spirituality and self-knowledge that are raised through Georgiou's quest.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The best-selling author of Ten Poems to Change Your Life (2001) provides a fantastical account of one young man's intimate journey of discovery. Moved beyond all practical reason by a poem penned by Rumi, a thirteenth-century mystic, Georgiou, a Greek icon painter residing in Florence, is inspired to undertake a pilgrimage to Konya, Turkey, the city where the lines were written that touched his heart. During the course of his odyssey, Georgiou experiences visions, encounters a number of eccentric spiritual guides, and develops as both an artist and a human being. When Georgiou finally arrives in Konya, his soul is awakened by a deceptively simple discovery. His restless mind and inner being finally at peace, Georgiou is ready to accept the greatest gift life has to offer: unconditional love. Lyrically written, this surrealistic affirmation of life and love will! enthrall and inspire readers seeking spiritual nourishment. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Harper San Francisco
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0060084456
• ISBN 13: 9780060084455
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 160