I've had this book with me at work every day for at least a full year and read it just a bit every day. I don't know how many times I've been through it. Every time I open it up it's like the first time I've picked it up. I never get tired of it. It almost seems a bit magical in that way. I've read the arguments for and against Bark's interpretations of Rumi's poetry. I like to hope they're close to the original and the comparisons I've seen in the different arrangements and translations, they follow Rumi's actual writing format more than the rhyming versions but whether they're exactly consistent with the original Persian or not, they're beautiful and very, very much worth reading even if just for their own sake. Once in a while a true masterpiece comes along and it's a joy to experience it. Coleman Barks is a genius. Yes, I know that some people disapprove of the way he interprets Rumi's work but I think of it as a collaboration between a teacher (Rumi) and student (Barks) rather than a traditional translation.This is a beautiful book with so many lessons on life and love that it's always on my desk so I can pick it up and read a snippet whenever the mood strikes me.
What do You think about The Big Red Book (2010)?
I love reading Rumi---inspiring and restorative on a chilly, wet day.
—adrian
Bought myself a copy for my future birthday
—gmer2006
