TEHRAN -- “Roumi le brulé”, a book about the Persian poet Molana Jalal ad-Din Rumi written by Nahal Tajadod, was reviewed at Tehran’s Book City on December 25.

“Roumi le brulé” was published in France in 2004 and the book by the France-based Iranian writer was recently translated into Persian by Mahasti Bahreini.
Tajadod, Bahreini, French author Jean-Claude Carrière, and actors Ezzatollah Entezami, Fatemeh Motamed-Arya, and Alireza Raisian participated in the review session.
Carrière, who is an expert on Rumi and the author of “Love: The Joy That Wounds: The Love Poems of Rumi”, gave a lecture during the event.
He said that he comes from a village and has been interested in Rumi’s poetry and in the knowledge of other cultures since he was young.
He stated that he has always tried to familiarize Westerners with the cultural works of other countries and that the filmmakers and writers of other cultures must also take a glance at the West and its culture.
In his view, the French translations of Rumi’s works have many mistakes and do not catch the rhythm of the original Persian, he added.
Describing his first encounter with Rumi, he said, “The first feeling I had in reading Rumi’s works was that one must die in one place so that one can be reborn in another place. The second feeling was that Rumi wanted me to reach the highest point in life, and the third feeling was love, which permeates all Rumi’s poetry, particularly the Divan of Shams-i Tabrizi.”
Carrière also spoke of the poetry of French surreal poet Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891), saying, “Rimbaud’s life was quite different than Molana’s. Rimbaud began to compose poetry in his early teens and later traveled to Africa to begin a new life. Rimbaud was a restless soul.
“I believe a great poet is always restless. He has something inside which drives him to explore. And all the surreal poets like Rimbaud have always had an inclination toward Iranian poets.”
He went on to say that he and Peter Brook also became interested in Attar’s “Mantiq at-Tayr” (“The Conference of the Birds”).
The two wrote a play based on “The Conference of the Birds” but were amazed that it became a worldwide hit and was translated into 30 languages, he added.
Carrière has worked as the principal of a French film school, written books on films and screenwriting, and hosted a debate program on French television.