Cele patruzeci de legi ale iubirii

Ella Rubinstein is almost forty. She is unhappy in her marriage. She lives in Boston’s suburbs as a stay-at-home mother. She takes a job at a literary agency. Her task is to assess a novel by an unknown writer. The story draws her into the bond between Rumi and Shams of Tabrīz. Rumi is a Persian poet. Shams is a Sufi dervish who wanders from place to place. Their friendship changes both men. It ends in a tragic parting.

Ella begins to trade letters with the novel’s author, Aziz Zahara. As their love grows, she starts to rethink her life. Like the men in the story, she finds love can bring freedom.

Elif Shafak blends romance with a tale based on real lives from the past. Her novel links a modern American woman with a poet from the thirteenth century. Both strands explore the many forms of love. They weigh faith against the life of the spirit. They also weigh duty against love. Ella puts passion ahead of reason when she makes her choice.

Ada Tanasă translated this edition from English and added notes.