How Did Rumi Become One of Our Best-Selling Poets?

Rumi the Aleppo-trained imam, whose sermons beguiled both the orthodox and the subversive of the medieval Islamic world. The theologian who likened writing to sticking his hand in tripe. The abstainer from wealth, who hid in the toilet to avoid the company of princely visitors. The Muslim who prayed toward Mecca five times a day so assiduously that he said, “Whoever looks into my face remembers to pray.” Rumi, one of the best-selling poets in the United States. The poet of love and ecstasy, whose verses inspire Deepak Chopra and Madonna and make their bowdlerized way into soundtracks played on catwalks and in humid rooms at Jivamukti yoga. Whose sayings can adorn your life on shower curtains, branded mats, Christmas tree baubles and iPhone cases. The stated inspiration for a number of workshops at Esalen, the Gestalt retreat in California where people sit naked in hot tubs overlooking the Pacific.