El auge de la novela sufí mediante Las cuarenta reglas del amor de Elif Shafak

Abstract

After mentioning some basic notions about the mystical novel and the Sufi novel, this paper briefly presents the evolution of the Sufi novel in the Muslim world. Then it goes through the biography of the Turkish novelist Elif Shafak and notes some observations on her novel The Forty Rules of Love. Without going deeper into the analysis of its contents, it stops at its beginning, at how the prologue and the first chapters have been put together, from a technical perspective. Finally, some criticisms directed at the author are pointed out: she has been accused of trivializing Sufism and misrepresenting data about Ğalāl al-Dīn al-Rūmī's life for commercial purposes. We think those criticisms are as true as out of place. Moreover, the success of The Forty Rules of Love disapproves any criticism that may be directed to her.