Sadi portrays life in his Gulistan: Spanish scholar
Spanish scholar Joaquin Rodriguez Vargas described Gulistan as a mirror of life rather than a book which narrate stories.
“Sadi is not known in Iran as a storyteller but is known as the Master of Words,” Vargas, who translated Gulistan into Spanish, mentioned during a seminar on Sadi held at Spain’s University of Alicante on Iran’s Sadi National Day on April 22.
The event was sponsored by Iran’s Cultural Office in Spain and aimed to review thoughts, views, character and the international influence of Sadi as one of the greatest figures of classical Persian literature.
“Although Sadi’s ‘Gulistan’ is known as an instructive book, this is not all that it is, since he described himself and his environment in this masterpiece,” he added.
Vargas described different aspects of Sadi’s characters including Sadi as an advisor, as one who opposes tyranny, as a narrator of events, as a philosopher, a religious figure and as a man of great wit.
Gulistan can be considered as a pattern of the Persian language which includes different types of prose just as the Spanish classic “Don Quixote” is a pattern for the Spanish language, he added.
He said that the words and ideas of Sadi are so deep and spiritual that Benjamin Franklin considered Sadi’s narration of Abraham’s story and some other anecdotes as the missing parts of the New Testament.
At the conference, Spanish scholars Jose Francisco Cutillas Ferrer, professor at the University of Alicante in the Arabic and Islamic Studies department, lectured on Sadi’s thoughts.
He called Sadi’s works a valuable heritage for human society saying that Sadi was speaking in all languages for all nations so that different people would enjoy his words.
Iranian acting cultural attaché in Madrid Amir Purpezeshk called Sadi, Rumi, Hafez and Ferdowsi the four main authors who formed the magnificent Persian literature.
Purpezeshk called Sadi an intellectual who was searching for truth through long journeys and talking with other people.
“Sadi’s ‘Gulistan’ is a moral manifest in which he depicted the conditions for an ideal prosperous society,” he mentioned.
Iranians annually commemorate Sheikh Muslihod-Din Sadi Shirazi (C. 1213- 1291), one of the greatest figures of classical Persian literature, on April 21, which has been named Sadi Day.
Source: tehrantimes.com
Other Links:
Iran Commemorates Renowned Poet
Spain hosts conference on Sadi
Exquisite Iranian rug goes to UAE
Iran to hold PG film fest on Kish
