Completed in 1258, Sa'di's Gulistan (‘The Rose Garden’) contains a wide-ranging selection of stories, anecdotes and poems offering advice and reflections on human existence, love, governing, education, and the nature of freedom – just as a rose garden is a collection of flowers.

The full work contains some 595 short poems in Persian, consisting typically just under two couplets each. The stories are expressed in precise, minimalist language, providing psychological insight and wisdom.

Considered the most influential work from the classical age of Persian literature from the tenth to sixteenth centuries, Gulistan was widely read across the Islamic world from Bengal to Istanbul.

In the modern era, the great works of Persian literature by Sa'di, Rumi and others have become known throughout the world, and Gulistan is the supreme work in a tradition that values clarity, simplicity and elegance.

Bound in a traditional handmade style, this collection from Gulistan is an attractive and accessible edition of Sa'di's work for any reader interested in classic literature.

Nicknamed ‘The Master of Speech’, Sa'di Shirazi (1210–91) is widely recognised as one the greatest poets in the classical Persian literary tradition. A quote from his poem, Bani Adam, meaning ‘Sons of Adam’ or ‘Human Beings’, is inscribed on the United Nations building in New York.