The Forty Rules of Love is a novel by Elif Shafak that intertwines the contemporary story of a housewife with the historical tale of the poet Rumi and his spiritual teacher, Shams of Tabriz, exploring themes of love, spirituality, and transformation.
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Book Blurb
Ella Rubenstein is forty years old and unhappily married when she takes a job as a reader for a literary agent. Her first assignment is to read and report on Sweet Blasphemy, a novel written by a man named Aziz Zahara.
Ella is mesmerised by his tale of Shams’s search for Rumi and the dervish’s role in transforming the successful but unhappy cleric into a committed mystic, passionate poet, and advocate of love. She is also taken with Shams’s lessons, or rules, that offer insight into an ancient philosophy based on the unity of all people and religions, and the presence of love in each and every one of us.
As she reads on, she realises that Rumi’s story mirrors her own and that Zahara—like Shams—has come to set her free.
About the Author
Elif Shafak is an award-winning, New York Times bestselling author. Her works have been translated into 55 languages and are hugely popular across the world.
Shafak holds a PhD in political science and she has taught at various universities in Turkey, the US and the UK. She has also taught at St Anne’s College, Oxford University, where she is an honorary fellow.
When you think of Elif Shakak books, you’re probably most likely to think of her bestselling fiction novels but she has also written nonfiction books.
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