The 13th century Sufipoet Rumi traveled in a landscape divided between the Persian and Byzantine empires, and his works express the passions, fables, and faith of both worlds. Turning to Reynold Nicholson's translation of the epic mystical poem Mathnawi for inspiration, Kamla Kapur reworks some of Rumi's writings here in 30 tales of wit, wisdom, and faith, such as "The Witch of Kabul" and "Moses Learns a Lesson." She brings Rumi's dense, intimidating work into a far more readable form, putting her own spin on the stories yet remaining true to Rumi's vision.