Coleman Barks (born April 23, 1937) is an American

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or w ...

, and former literature faculty at the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

. Although he neither speaks nor reads Persian, he is a popular interpreter of

Rumi Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī ( fa, جلال‌الدین محمد رومی), also known as Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Balkhī (), Mevlânâ/Mawlānā ( fa, مولانا, lit= our master) and Mevlevî/Mawlawī ( fa, مولوی, lit= my ma ...

, rewriting the poems based on other

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

translations.

Early life and education

Barks is a native of

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020 ...

. He attended the

Baylor School Baylor School, commonly called Baylor, is a private, coeducational college-preparatory school in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Founded in 1893, the school currently sits atop a 690-acre campus and enrolls students in grades 6-12, including boarding st ...

as a teenager, then studied collegiately at the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC S ...

and the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant un ...

. Barks was a student of the Sufi

Shaykh Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a ...

Bawa Muhaiyaddeen.

Career

Barks taught literature at the

for three decades. Barks makes frequent international appearances and is well known throughout the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

. Barks' work has contributed to an extremely strong following of Rumi in the English-speaking world. Due to his work, the ideas of

Sufism Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality ...

have crossed many cultural boundaries over the past few decades. Barks received an honorary doctorate from

University of Tehran The University of Tehran (Tehran University or UT, fa, دانشگاه تهران) is the most prominent university located in Tehran, Iran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as its research and teaching pro ...

in 2006. He has also read his original

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek '' poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meani ...

at the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival. In March 2009, Barks was inducted to the Georgia Writers' Hall of Fame.

Rumi interpretations

Barks has published several volumes of his interpretations of Rumi's poetry since 1976, including ''The Hand of Poetry, Five Mystic Poets of Persia'' in 1993, ''The Essential Rumi'' in 1995, ''The Book of Love'' in 2003 and ''A Year with Rumi'' in 2006.

Original poetry

Barks has published several volumes of his own poetry, including ''Gourd Seed'', "Quickly Aging Here", ''Tentmaking'', and, in 2001, ''Granddaughter Poems'', a collection of Coleman's poetry about his granddaughter, Briny Barks, with illustrations by Briny. Harper published his first book of poetry, ''The Juice'', in 1972.

Discography

* * * * * * * * *

Other credits

References

External links

*
Four new translations of Rumi by Barks
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barks, Coleman 1937 births Living people American Sufis American male poets American spoken word poets American translators Iranologists People from Chattanooga, Tennessee Poets from Tennessee Sufi poets University of California, Berkeley alumni University of Georgia faculty University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni