Jalal ad-Din Rumi, commonly known just as Rumi, was a Persian Sunni Muslim poet, Islamic scholar, theologian, and Sufi mystic whose works, written in the thirteenth century, are popular throughout the world today.

Coleman Barks is an American poet, a former lecturer at the University of Georgia and a renowned interpreter of Rumi and other mystic poets.

He makes frequent international appearances and is well-known throughout the Middle East.

His work has contributed to the creation of a strong Rumi following in the English-speaking world and the dissemination of Sufi ideas across many cultural boundaries.