Shiraz in the Age of Hafez: The Glory of a Medieval Persian City (Publications on the Near East) [Paperback]

John Limbert (Author)

Book Description

Series: Publications on the Near East | Publication Date: April 2004

In the fourteenth-century Persian city of Shiraz, poets composed, scholars studied, mystics sought hidden truths, ascetics prayed and fasted, drunkards brawled, and princes and their courtiers played deadly games of power. This was the world of Shams al-Din Mohammad Hafez Shirazi, a classical poet who remains broadly popular today in his native Shiraz and in modern Iran as a whole, and among all lovers of great verse traditions. As John Limbert notes, Hafez's poetry is inseparable from the Iranian spirit - a reflection of Iranians' intellectual and emotional responses to events. But if Hafez's endurance derives from the considerable charm of his work, it also arises from his sure grounding in the life of his day, from a setting so deftly explored by his verse that his depictions of it retain a timeless relevance. To fully comprehend and enjoy Hafez, and thus to understand a root force in modern Iranian consciousness, we must know something of the city in which he lived and wrote. In this book, Limbert provides not only a rich context for Hafez's poetry but also a comprehensive perspective on a fascinating place in a dynamic time. His portrait of this elegant, witty poet and his marvelous city will be as valuable to medievalists, students of the Middle East, and specialists in urban studies as it will be to connoisseurs of world literature.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"John Limbert attempts to acquaint the reader with the history of fourteenth-century Shiraz by recounting the wars between the rival dynasties ... [he] excels in his sections on the leading families of Shiraz."--Times Literary Supplement, November 25, 2005

About the Author

John Limbert, U.S. Ambassador to Mauritania, has taught at Shiraz University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: University of Washington Press (April 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0295983914
• ISBN-13: 978-0295983912
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,934,222 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A dry but enlightening tour, July 5, 2007

By 

Brian Griffith (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shiraz in the Age of Hafez: The Glory of a Medieval Persian City (Publications on the Near East) (Paperback)

This is a competent work of love, exploring the city that surrounded Persia's possibly greatest poet, Hafez, during the 1300s. The book is comparable to a rather dry but insightful tour of Dante's Florence, full of the scholars, mob leaders, artists and warlord rulers who were backdrop to the poet's work. We see, for example, Shah Shoja Mozaffari, who conquered Shiraz in 1353 and subjected it's vibrant people to harsh control, closing the bars, opium houses and brothels -- at which Hafez wrote:

They have closed the tavern doors.
O God don't let them open the doors to the house of deceit and hypocrisy.
If they have closed them for the sake of the selfish ascetic,
be strong, for they will open them for the sake of God

Where many works focus on Hafez himself, here we have a focus on his dramatic surroundings. The citations of poetry are sparing, but more powerful for Limbert's context. Like China's Li Po but more saintly, this hard-drinking, huge hearted Hafez gives voice to Iran's real soul, in verses which still rankle the country's rulers:

Everyone, whether drunk or sober, seeks the beloved.
Every place, whether it be mosque or synagogue, is the house of love.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book, great city, July 6, 2007

By 

Frances Cruz "a seeker of truth" (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shiraz in the Age of Hafez: The Glory of a Medieval Persian City (Publications on the Near East) (Paperback)

I'm from Shiraz and I love Hafez. This book is a great description of Shiraz the way it was. It shows how people there faced many threats from invaders, but they stuck together in their families, schools or Sufi brotherhoods to make Shiraz one of the greatest cities for art and literature. And Hafez was the best of them all. It explains how Hafez responded to different events, which gives more meaning to some of his poems.

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A disappointment, October 19, 2005

By 

Nasrolah (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shiraz in the Age of Hafez: The Glory of a Medieval Persian City (Publications on the Near East) (Paperback)

I ordered the book hoping to read about the history of Shiraz. Do not expect to find much of interest about the history of the city of Shiraz or the life of Hafez in this volume. The title is very misleading. It is based on the author's dissertaion- an excellent contribution to the academia and research libraries. A boring book and a disappointment.