Customer Reviews

Song of the Sun: The Life, Poetry and Teachings of Rumi

5 star:		(2)
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3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
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Andrew Harvey has given us a passionate, loving homage to Rumi, as well as a reliable depiction of the mystical path, with its dangers and joys. Harvey is no mere `academic'; he is an enthusiastic lover of Truth. In an age when Rumi's poems are available widely, this audiobook is a powerful reminder that there is a teaching/learning depth in Rumi that his mere popularity can't possibly reflect. (Ridhwan students, especially: read or hear this book!)

With great generosity of spirit and true humility, Andrew Harvey, authority on the life and poetry of Rumi, speaks to us in Song of the Sun. I am very grateful to Mr. Harvey for sharing so much more than his knowledge. He speaks in a deeply personal voice, telling us how he came to Rumi, and the impact of this encounter on his own spiritual
journey.

I am a great fan of Andrew Harvey's written work, and I felt that listening to these tapes was like a one-on-one encounter, where every question I had was answered well beyond my expectations.

This is an uncommon and intimate work. And it is precisely this closeness, this intimacy, which proves Mr. Harvey to be a worthy ambassador, reaching out to us from the world of Rumi's colossal heart.

The music is appropriately mystical and pleasing, and Rumi's poems are of course peerless, profound, and timeless. But Andrew Harvey's enunciation in performing the poems is grating - overly emotional, and whiney, as if spiritual extascy were somehow a complaint.

I almost feel guilty criticizing a book about the great Rumi and criticizing a book by an author I generally admire but I have to say that this audiobook is a disappointment. In general, Andrew's reading of this book is slow, dull, and he sounds like a British professor doing a dissertation on the finer points of accounting. I honestly couldn't get past the manner of presentation to get to the heart of the book. If you want to hear the fire of Rumi, listen to Coleman Barks.