The epic love story of Layla and Majnun originated as an Arabic Bedouin love story, migrated into the Persian epic Shahnameh, was emancipated by the great romantic poet Nizami, and from there travelled to Delhi via Amir Khusro. Since then, it has been adapted by different cultures, languages, and artistic formats, finding new life among a new generation of readers each time.
In this panel dedicated to this landmark work of literature, join visiting Shubbak Festival artist Amer Hlehel, who has re-told Qassim Haddad’s rendering of the tale, Soraya Syed, who has recently created a short film on the subject, and classical literature translation expert James Montgomery to discuss the history and legacy of the poem, looking at its influence on other works of art and its relationship to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.