Music, Mysticism, and Experience: Sufism and Spiritual Journeys in Nathaniel Mackey's "Bedouin Hornbook."

Bedouin Hornbook (Book); Mackey, Nathaniel, 1947-; Mathnawi (Poem); Jalal al-Din Rumi, Maulana, 1207-1273; Literary criticism; Islamic mysticism; Transcendence (Philosophy)

A literary criticism of the book "Bedouin Hornbook" by Nathaniel Mackey is presented. It explores the striking resemblances with the poem "Mathnawi" by Jalal al-Din Rumi in terms of the contemporary expositions of loss, music and mystical experience. It cites various studies of the book that assessed its link with Islamic mysticism and its impact on the author's experiences of music. It explains the author's horizontal notion of transcendence.