Coleman Barks

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Coleman Barks is an American poet and renowned translator of Rumi poetry and other mystic poets of Persia.

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

Coleman Barks himself does not speak Persian, and bases his translations entirely off of other English translations of Rumi. In addition, while the original Persian poetry of Rumi is heavily rhymed and metered, Barks has used primarily free verse. This has led some to criticize Barks' works as essentially original creations, while others laud his efforts at providing the essence of Rumi's poetry in an accessible format.

Coleman Barks received an honorary doctorate from Tehran University in 2006.[1]