Rumi Comes to America

SECOND EDITION: In 1976, few people had heard of Jelaluddin Rumi. Suddenly, the 13th-century Islamic theologian skyrocketed into public awareness to became America’s best-selling poet.

The story focuses on the people and events behind Rumi’s entry into popular culture — including former British pop singer and author, Reshad Field, poet, Coleman Barks, and a group of young seekers who invite Süleyman Dede, head of the Whirling Dervishes, to their home in Los Angeles. Süleyman Dede was eighteen years old when he entered the dervish monastery in Konya, Turkey, but soon after, in 1926, all dervish activities were banned. As a humble cook, serving soup to the poor, Dede’s spiritual mastery went unnoticed until age 74, when he arrived in Los Angeles with a secret mission — to plant the path of Rumi in the West. The book’s intimate recollections reveal how today’s Rumi phenomenon began in the hearts of young people dedicated to Rumi’s message of universal love. Pulling from improbable events, candid interviews, and archival recordings, Bruce Miller weaves an entertaining memoir of mystical magic and spiritual mayhem of that time. As a teaching story, the book illuminates how the “sacred impulse” traversed across 700 years of history to inject an awakening force into America, Europe, and the world at large.

More than 120 photographs are included.

REVIEWS: “Bruce, thank you for doing this good work!” Coleman Barks, “The Essential Rumi”

“An illuminating book for those interested in how Sufism evolved in the West. We sense a child-like joy and gratitude, as well as mastery of the moment, as we read the words of Süleyman Dede.” Daniel Thomas Dyer, Chickpea Press” This book tells the story of one of the most important moments in America’s recent religious and spiritual history using accounts of those involved and new translations of audio recordings from the time. Written with honesty, compassion, and understanding, it beautifully conveys the feeling of the place and period.” Mark Sedgwick, Department of the Study of Religion, Aarhus University, and author of “Western Sufism: From the Abbasids to the New Age” (Oxford University Press)