NIZAMI GANJAVI – ARTISTIC AND HUMANISTIC ASPECTS OF THE KHAMSA
Conference | Introduction

Venue:
Little Hall, Sidgwick Avenue, Cambridge CB3 9DA.

Dates:
9-10 September 2004.

Convenors:
Christoph Buergel, Christine van Ruymbeke.

Organised by:
Iran Heritage Foundation, Faculty of Oriental Studies (Cambridge University) and Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute.

Introduction:
The last event dedicated to the 12^th century Persian poet Nizami of Ganja, was held in Princeton, in 1998 (organised by J. Clinton and K. Talattof) and resulted in the publication The poetry of Nizami Ganjavi. Knowledge, love and rhetoric. New York, 2000. Meanwhile, research on the Khamsa has moved on, translations of the text have been published in European languages… We feel it is time to convene a new conference on this remarkable poet. Nizami certainly deserves as much interest as the more popular Rumi and ‘Attar, about whom such events have lately been organised.

The emphasis of this conference is on the artistic and humanistic aspects of the poet’s work, i.e. narrative stratagems, forms and functions of rhetoric figures, ethical and philosophical concerns, nature description and its function, his lyrical work, psychology and development of the heroes, comparative analyses, sources and influences.

Publication:
A selection of the papers presented at the conference will be published subsequently in a volume to be edited by the conference convenors.

Registration Fee:
40 Pounds, 30 Pounds concessions.

Enquiries:
info@iranheritage.org, 020 7493 4766.