1985 — Very Good English Original fine grey-brown cloth bdg. Boards have titled bilingual in Persian and English, with the Iranian Commission for UNESCO logo. Brown endpapers. Large roy. 8vo. (24,5 x 18 cm). In Persian and English, not parallel texts. Text in English pp. i-244; in Persian pp. 1-199. One of a good printing in terms of the accordance of a western and an eastern language. Persian text starts from the right, English one is from left. [xii], [1 blank], 244, 199, 10 p. First Edition, thus. Slightly foxing on edges, a presentation inscription by pen. Overall a very good copy. Abû-Muhammad Muslih al-Dîn bin Abdallâh Shîrâzî, (1193-1292), better known by his pen name Saadi (or, Sadi, Sa'di), was a major Persian poet and prose writer of the medieval period. He is recognized for the quality of his writings and for the depth of his social and moral thoughts. Saadi is widely recognized as one of the greatest poets of the classical literary tradition, earning him the nickname "The Master of Speech" or "The Wordsmith" (Ostâd-e soxan) or simply "Master" [Ostad] among Persian scholars. He has been quoted in the Western traditions as well. Bustan has been ranked as one of the 100 greatest books of all time by The Guardian. Bustan [i.e. The Orchard] completed in 1257and it's entirely in verse (epic meter). It consists of stories aptly illustrating the standard virtues recommended to Muslims (justice, liberality, modesty, contentment) and reflections on the behavior of dervishes and their ecstatic practices. Gulistan is mainly in prose and contains stories and personal anecdotes. The text is interspersed with a variety of short poems that contain aphorisms, advice, and humorous reflections, demonstrating Saadi's profound awareness of the absurdity of human existence. The fate of those who depend on the changeable moods of kings is contrasted with the freedom of the dervishes. Saadi is also remembered as a panegyrist and lyricist, the author of a number of odes portraying human experience, and also of particular odes such as the lament on the fall of Baghdad after the Mongol invasion in 1258. His lyrics are found in Ghazaliyat [i.e. Lyrics] and his odes in Qasa'id [i.e. Odes]. He is also known for a number of works in Arabic. George Michael Wickens, (1918-2006), the translator of this edition, was a distinguished Canadian-British Persianist as well as Arabist, translator, and a University lecturer. Wickens was fluent in Persian and Arabic and was one of the pioneering figures of Persian literature in Canada. He translated several masterpieces of Persian literature as Boostan of Sa'di into English. (Source: Wikipedia).
