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A review by jglasscock
The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali
5.0
One reviewer on the dust jacket called this book, “evocative, devastating, and hauntingly beautiful.” I couldn’t agree more. This will be a novel that I think about for quite some time.
Even though it was emotionally overwhelming at times, I couldn’t stop reading. Kamali carefully illustrated how love can endure through heartbreak and political upheaval.
The characters’ stories were skillfully intertwined, and the vibrancy of 1950s Teheran was brought to life. The characters and setting had depth and were so vivid in my mind. I truly felt transported, which is what I hope for in every book.
- - -
look at love
by Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi
English version by Nader Khalili
Original Language Persian/Farsi & Turkish
look at love
how it tangles
with the one fallen in love
look at spirit
how it fuses with earth
giving it new life
why are you so busy
with this or that or good or bad
pay attention to how things blend
why talk about all
the known and the unknown
see how the unknown merges into the known
why think separately
of this life and the next
when one is born from the last
look at your heart and tongue
one feels but deaf and dumb
the other speaks in words and signs
look at water and fire
earth and wind
enemies and friends all at once
the wolf and the lamb
the lion and the deer
far away yet together
look at the unity of this
spring and winter
manifested in the equinox
you too must mingle my friends
since the earth and the sky
are mingled just for you and me
be like sugarcane
sweet yet silent
don't get mixed up with bitter words
my beloved grows right out of my own heart
how much more union can there be
Even though it was emotionally overwhelming at times, I couldn’t stop reading. Kamali carefully illustrated how love can endure through heartbreak and political upheaval.
The characters’ stories were skillfully intertwined, and the vibrancy of 1950s Teheran was brought to life. The characters and setting had depth and were so vivid in my mind. I truly felt transported, which is what I hope for in every book.
- - -
look at love
by Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi
English version by Nader Khalili
Original Language Persian/Farsi & Turkish
look at love
how it tangles
with the one fallen in love
look at spirit
how it fuses with earth
giving it new life
why are you so busy
with this or that or good or bad
pay attention to how things blend
why talk about all
the known and the unknown
see how the unknown merges into the known
why think separately
of this life and the next
when one is born from the last
look at your heart and tongue
one feels but deaf and dumb
the other speaks in words and signs
look at water and fire
earth and wind
enemies and friends all at once
the wolf and the lamb
the lion and the deer
far away yet together
look at the unity of this
spring and winter
manifested in the equinox
you too must mingle my friends
since the earth and the sky
are mingled just for you and me
be like sugarcane
sweet yet silent
don't get mixed up with bitter words
my beloved grows right out of my own heart
how much more union can there be