The Illuminated Rumi by Jalal Al-Din Rumi
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Book Summary Author: Jalal Al-Din Rumi Illustrator: Michael Green Translator: Coleman Barks Edition: Hardcover Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published) Published: 1997-10-13 ISBN: 0767900022 Number of pages: 128 Publisher: Broadway Books |
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Book Reviews of the The Illuminated Rumi
Customer Review: Rumi: the Chuck-E-Cheese edition
Summary: 2 Stars
I admit I was predisposed to be a little snobby about this book since I assume the pictures are there for people that are hesitant about poetry and lack the confidence in their own imaginations to draw up imagery--just putting that up front. But I found this book at a friend's house and was excited to open it since I was craving Rumi and looking for inspiration and I wanted to keep an open mind.
The translations are fine. And the pictures in-of-themselves don't get in the way so much, other than that they are absolutely everywhere and create a chaotic, disorienting format-- more about that later. There are some reproductions of beautiful, period art work that enhance the book. Others are the cheesiest of New Age collages. What makes the book so confusing is the layout. Many poems are split up over several pages and it is nearly impossible to tell where a poem begins or ends, especially since every page has a heading over it, suggesting each page starts a new poem. And the font switches randomly, making one think a new poem is beginning. But it's the commentary that makes the whole thing a disaster. The commentary and interpretations show up on the same pages as the poems, in similar fonts--and worse--written in a flowery prose that sometimes tries to imitate Rumi's style. The commentary sometimes takes the form of direct advice on how to live, with no preface of "Rumi is saying that..." So you think you're reading the continuation of a poem or a new poem and it takes a moment to figure out you just swallowed another slippery wad of fortune-cookie advice or watered-down interpretation. I just hated the way it so forcibly inserted itself in and around the poetry. It's very hard to absorb oneself in the poem when one has to navigate all of these other elements.
I'm giving it a "2" because it's great for people who need a lot of distractions and get bored very easily.