Between 2006 and 2011, Iranian film director Abbas Kiarostami - author of three books of original verse - released his selections from and adaptations of four masters of Persian poetry: Nima (1895 - 1960), Hafez, Saadi and Rumi (all from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries). This material is presented to English-speaking readers for the first time, in eight volumes: Nima’s Water, Hafez’s Wine, Saadi’s Tears and Rumi’s Fire. In 2015, Kiarostami published two further books, the dual anthology entitled Night, his selections from a variety of classical and contemporary poets.

Saadi, who wrote in the thirteenth century, is considered a major classical Persian writer. His poems and texts not only represent the pinnacle of form and style in Persian literature, but also contain many spiritual and moral insights.

Abbas Kiarostami is one of Iran’s leading filmmakers who has also published several books of photographs and poetry.