Layli and Majnun Audiobook By Nezami Ganjavi, Dick Davis, Dick Davis - introduction, Dick Davis - translator cover art

Layli and Majnun

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Layli and Majnun

By: Nezami Ganjavi, Dick Davis, Dick Davis - introduction, Dick Davis - translator
Narrated by: Dick Davis, Peter Ganim, Serena Manteghi, Sean Rohani
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Buy for $15.75

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The Persian epic that inspired Eric Clapton's unforgettable love song "Layla" and that Lord Byron called "the Romeo and Juliet of the East," in a masterly new translation


The iconic love story of the Middle East, by a twelfth-century Persian poet who has been compared to Shakespeare for his subtlety, inventiveness, and dramatic force, Layli and Majnun tells of star-crossed lovers whose union is tragically thwarted by their families and whose passion continues to ripple out across the centuries. Theirs is a love that lasts a lifetime, and in Nezami's immortal telling, erotic longing blends with spiritual self-denial in an allegory of Sufi aspiration, as the amenities of civilization give way to the elemental wilderness, desire is sublimated into a mystical renunciation of the physical world, and the soul confronts its essence. This is a tour de force of Persian literature, in a translation that captures the extraordinary power and virtuosity of the original.

This audiobook includes a PDF that contains notes from the book. Ancient, Classical & Medieval Literature Fairy Tales Fantasy Middle Eastern World Literature Classics Poetry Middle East Persian Poetry

Critic reviews

“A highly engaging tale of impossible love . . . The first verse translation of the 12th-century Persian poet Nezami . . . Davis’s rhythmic translation is full of lush imagery.” ―Publishers Weekly

“Nezami . . . paints a visionary world full of erotic tension and trepidation which is both sublimated and enriched with psychological chiaroscuro.” ―Italo Calvino
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It was a good read. Some amazing poetry and overall a good message. Read allegorically.

Great Book

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I'd like to read the book, and I will. But the narrator who reads the part of Majnun is terrible. He cannot read verse, pausing at every line end... his delivery also seems rushed. I'm surprised a house like Penguin could release such a product with its name on it, but maybe they aren't as committed to quality as previously.

And I know this is personal preference but the other two narrators didn't float my boat either. Everything is wrong with the narration of this classic.

The translation seems pitiful at times, as well.

"Cringeworthy" narration spoils all

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