The Tale of the Loneliness of the Soul

This collection contains 35 articles and one interview by Dr. Este’alami in the field of classic Iranian literature. Some of the articles were previously published in English in various journals and are now translated into Persian in this book. The titles of some articles include: Mysticism and Education in Modern Human Views, Reimagining Shahnameh in Performing Arts, Sharia and Tariqa: Two Paths to a Single Destination, ‘I Asked: Where Are You From?’, The Rise and Fall of Shams Tabrizi in Konya, A Critique of the Works of Ubayd Zakani, Logical Understanding of Hafez’s Words, Re-reading The Blind Owl, Hafez: The Sorrowful and Notorious Lover, The Speech in the Divan of Hafez, Society in Simin Behbahani’s Poetry, and The Beloved’s Image in Hafez’s Words. If only those who are indifferent to the plight of Iran knew the exhilaration of immersing oneself in the waves of love for Iran, to remain restless, entrusting body and soul to the waves, to be breathless and undeterred. For over half a century, I have identified myself with this ‘heritage of restlessness,’ and if I have climbed a few steps in my cultural and academic life, it has been in the spirit of this heritage and under the shadow of the Simorgh of this love.