“Mystical Quest and Oneness in the Mukhtâr-nâma attributed to Farîd al-dîn 'Attâr”

Eve Feuillebois-Pierunek (1)

1 Mondes Iranien et Indien - UMR 7528

I discuss the substantial collection of quatrains attributed to 'Attâr which are collected in the Mukhtâr-nâma. As a way of assessing the arguments as to the disputed authenticity of this work, I undertake an extended systematic analysis of those quatrains with a mystical content, in order to see how their ideas and symbolic expressions correspond with those attested in the fully authentic works. Itself providing an guide to key features of the author's thought, this thematic analysis leads to the cautious conclusion that the Mukhtâr-nâma is perhaps neither a total forgery nor a fully authentic work, being rather a mixture of quatrains of different origins, authored by different authors including ‘Attâr.

Mots clés: Persian Literature; Persian Sufism; Poetry; Persia; 13th-15th century

Domaines: Littératures; Religions

Eve Feuillebois-Pierunek. “Mystical Quest and Oneness in the Mukhtâr-nâma attributed to Farîd al-dîn 'Attâr”. Leonard Lewisohn, Christopher Shackle. Attar and the Persian Sufi Tradition. The Art of Spiritual Flight., I.B. Tauris / The Institute of Ismaili Studies, pp. 309-329, 2006, Attar and the Persian Sufi Tradition, 978-1-84511-148-6. ⟨halshs-01265596⟩