Kimya Khatun

by Saideh Ghods, Sara Philips (Translator)

This is a manifold tale of love and adolescence which embraces the age of innocence and shows us the ultimate personal sacrifice. The author immerses herself in the character of her heroine, Kimya, and begins to experience all that she felt growing up in the harem of one of the most notable men of the time in that region. We are introduced to all her thoughts as she succumbs to the restrictions in a house where trips to the hammam (public baths) become the highlight of her life; a life where occasional, covert trips to the rooftop fan excitement because they are the only times when she can glimpse the world outside her home full of women.For Rumi, religion was mostly a personal experience, but the members of his harem as well as his family and school of clerics could not escape the beliefs of the time which dictated a certain way of life for religious, scholarly men and the women who inhabited their harems. At the time, Rumi’s new school of thought brought a great deal of tumult to both his harem, his family and his school and saw him discredited by the wider community in the early days of his enlightenment.

Genres: Novels

353 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2007

Reviews

[Zeynep · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kimya Hatun benim hiç sevmediğim kitaplardan biri. Kitap, Mevlana'nın üvey kızı Kimya Hatun ve onunla evlenen Şems etrafından şekilleniyor, küçüklüğünden itibaren Kimya Hatunu ele alıyor. 'Mevlana ve Şems'in yaşamına dair bilinmeyen her şey' tanıtım cümlesinin reklam amaçlı oldugunu ve kitabın önyargıyla yazılmış bir kurgu oldugunu düşünüyorum. Yazar yaptığı araştırmalardan bahsetse de hiçbir kaynak belirtmiyor? Eğer tarihi çarptırmasaydı dili ve akıcılığıyla beğenebilirdim.

[Nida Çetin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Çok basit bir yaklaşım. Kötü yürekli Şems, mesafeli durulan bir melek olarak Mevlana.

[Ilona · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is not a usual book depicting Rumi and Shams. But these are not the main characters of the book. I have to admit that I love the book. I was waiting for the English translation to be able to read it, and I have to say that even in translation, I was captivated by the language and atmosphere (despite the bad technical form on Kindle). It wasn't an easy book. I can understand why some people can take it almost as sacrilege. But it is a novel, not a biography! We do not know anything besides that Kimya was from Rumi's household, briefly married Shams, and died. There are later stories about her secret love for Rumi's son and her forced marriage to Shams, but these are also just stories, not historical facts, even if they are widespread now.

I don't remember when was the last time I threw a book in anger (in this case a Kindle) because I was despaired by the protagonists' behavior. I did it many times reading this. It was a very challenging and demanding book. It changed the paradigm completely. It is written mainly from the perspective of Kimya, a girl trapped in an unbearable situation. Those parts, from her perspective, are the strongest. The description of mood, sadness, and crawling despair is intense. I wasn't impressed by Rumi here. Honestly, I didn't like him in this novel at all; he was so pathetic, so weak. Shams was different. He is a villain here. However, his inner world and turbulences are better described, and he looks more like a human being than Rumi's distant and flat character.

Again, it was very challenging for me. Even if it is a novel, it attacked all my knowledge, perception, and maybe even stereotypes. I have always had a softer spot for Shams than Rumi, so seeing him as a domestic abuser was tough. But I think the purpose of art is to catch my attention, grab me, and not release it, even after the book is fully read.

[Melis Eren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hiçte tahmin edemedim böyle bir sonu olacağını çok üzüldüm ve açıkçası biraz Şems ve Mevlana’ya bakış açımı değiştirdi. O adamın kadına yaptıklarını okudukça çok kötü oldum. Alaeddine çok kızdım ama iyi ki de onla evlenmedi, korkak.

[Ebiha · Rating 4 out of 5]

İranlı kadın bir yazar tarafından yazılmış. Hüzünlü bir kitap. Araştırma yapılarak yazdığını belirtmiş yazar. İçindekilerin doğruluğu tarihçilerin işi. Ortalamanın üstündeydi benim için

[Aysenur Ergez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bir kadın bakış açısı ile şems ve mevlana

[Umit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sürükleyici bir kitap, bildiğimiz hikayeyi daha da yakından anlatmış. Sorun üzücü bitiyor ama

[Isil · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://okudumdanoldu.blogspot.be/2010...

İranlı bir kadın yazarın gözünden yazılmış kitap. Beğendim açıkçası ama yorum tarihi nasıl çarpıtıyor görüyoruz. Gerçi bu tarih kitabı değil roman ama. Kadının Selçuklular zamanında Mevlana'nın bile hareminde ne durumda olduğunu görmek açısından çok önemli. Güzel

[Didar Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

kimya hatun'u okurken zevk aldım,belkı bunun en buyuk nedenlerinden birine E:ŞAFAK'IN Aşk romanını okudugmdandır diye düşünüyorm: Birbirlrtini tamamladılar

[Seda Sertel Janssens · Rating 3 out of 5]

İranlı bir yazara göre çok cesur buldum yaklaşımını. Alışılmışın dışında bir bakışı var Mevlana ve Şems'e. Doğruluğunu merak ettiren bir kitap, sevdim.