Lecture: Susan Scollay ‘Gardens of Love: Persian Poetry and its Admirers’

Susan Scollay – Guest co-curator, Love and Devotion: from Persia and Beyond, March – June, 2010

‘Gardens of Love: Persian Poetry and its Admirers’

Yusuf's wedding to Zulaikha (detail), from Yusuf u Zulaikha by Jami, 1595 Courtesy of Bodleian Library, University of Oxford

Transcending place and time, classic love stories found in Persian poetry have been reflected in western culture, with parallels in the works of Chaucer and Shakespeare and in the lyrics of rock stars today.

In March–June 2012, the State Library will present a major exhibition, Love and Devotion: From Persia and Beyond, featuring rare books and manuscripts from the Bodleian Libraries of the University of Oxford. Enjoy a preview of the exhibition as co-curator Susan Scollay, an art historian specialising in Islamic culture, reveals the beauty of Persian poetry and its vibrant tales of human and divine love.

Date: Wednesday 6 April, 2011, 6pm.

Venue: Village Roadshow Theatre, State Library of Victoria.

Attendance is free. All Welcome. For further information and bookings please contact the State Library. Email bookings@slv.vic.gov.au, Tel 03 8664 7099, Book online.

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