The Ocean of the Soul
Men, the World and God in the Stories of Farid al-Din 'At?t?ar
Ritter(Author)
Bernd Radtke(Editor)
Brill (Publisher)
Published on 28. May 2003
Book
Hardback
860 pages
978-90-04-12068-6 (ISBN)
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Description
The Ocean of the Soul is one of the great works of the German Orientalist Hellmut Ritter (1892-1971). It presents a comprehensive analysis of the writings of the mystical Persian poet Farid al-Din 'At?t?ar who is thought to have died at an advanced age in April 1221 when the Mongols destroyed his home city of Nishapur in the north-east of Iran. The book, which resulted from decades of investigation of literary and historical sources, was first published in 1955 and has since remained unsurpassed not only as the definitive study of 'At?t?ar's world of ideas but as an indispensable guide to understanding pre-modern Islamic literature in general.
Quoting at length from 'At?t?ar and other Islamic sources, Ritter sketches an extraordinarily vivid portrait of the Islamic attitude toward life, characteristic developments in pious and ascetic circles, and, in conclusion, various dominant mystical currents of thought and feeling.
Special attention is given to a wide range of views on love, love in all its manifestations, including homosexuality and the commonplace sufi adoration of good-looking youths. Ritter's approach is throughout based onprecise philological interpretation of primary sources, several of which he has himself made available in critical editions.
Quoting at length from 'At?t?ar and other Islamic sources, Ritter sketches an extraordinarily vivid portrait of the Islamic attitude toward life, characteristic developments in pious and ascetic circles, and, in conclusion, various dominant mystical currents of thought and feeling.
Special attention is given to a wide range of views on love, love in all its manifestations, including homosexuality and the commonplace sufi adoration of good-looking youths. Ritter's approach is throughout based onprecise philological interpretation of primary sources, several of which he has himself made available in critical editions.
Reviews / Votes
'[This] translation will serve to make Ritter's masterful work accessible to a far broader audience... when genuine understanding of the spiritual dimensions of Islam is rather sparse...'Lawrence Conrad, Der Islam 2005.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Leiden
Netherlands
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
With dust jacket
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 155 mm
Thickness: 45 mm
Weight
1640 gr
ISBN-13
978-90-04-12068-6 (9789004120686)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Ritter | Bernd Radtke
The Ocean of the Soul
Men, the World and God in the Stories of Farid al-Din 'At?t?ar
Book
11/2012
Brill
€60.50
Available immediately
Persons
John O'Kane, B.A. (1963) in Classics, Princeton University, is an independent scholar. His translations include The Secrets of God's Mystical Oneness (Mazda, 1992), Essays on Islamic Piety and Mysticism by Fritz Meier (Brill, 1999) and The Feats of the Knowers of God (Manaqeb al-'arefin) by Shams al-Din Ah?mad-e Aflaki (Brill, 2002).