Tahir Shah

A Teaching Story from the tradition of Eastern folklore, this tale by seeks to divert the mind with entertainment while allowing a deeper didactic level to be received. Its author, Tahir Shah - one of the foremost writers of his generation - was himself raised in the ancient tradition of instructive stories and storytelling. The son of the prominent Sufi writer and thinker Idries Shah, Tahir was weaned from early childhood on folktales and folklore, drawn from all points of the cultural compass. Encouraged from a young age to write stories of his own, he was trained to draw both perception and entertainment from the celebrated story treasuries of the East - such as The Thousand and One Nights. Tahir asserts that the simplest tales can contain complex interwoven layers of meaning, knowledge, and acuity - instructional material that is frequently invisible to the reader. By learning to recognize the subtleties, it's possible to mine a treasure trove of wisdom from the tales that surround our lives.

A Teaching Story from the tradition of Eastern folklore, this tale by seeks to divert the mind with entertainment while allowing a deeper didactic level to be received. Its author, Tahir Shah - one of the foremost writers of his generation - was himself raised in the ancient tradition of instructive stories and storytelling. The son of the prominent Sufi writer and thinker Idries Shah, Tahir was weaned from early childhood on folktales and folklore, drawn from all points of the cultural compass. Encouraged from a young age to write stories of his own, he was trained to draw both perception and entertainment from the celebrated story treasuries of the East - such as The Thousand and One Nights. Tahir asserts that the simplest tales can contain complex interwoven layers of meaning, knowledge, and acuity - instructional material that is frequently invisible to the reader. By learning to recognize the subtleties, it's possible to mine a treasure trove of wisdom from the tales that surround our lives.

A Teaching Story from the tradition of Eastern folklore, this tale by seeks to divert the mind with entertainment while allowing a deeper didactic level to be received. Its author, Tahir Shah - one of the foremost writers of his generation - was himself raised in the ancient tradition of instructive stories and storytelling. The son of the prominent Sufi writer and thinker Idries Shah, Tahir was weaned from early childhood on folktales and folklore, drawn from all points of the cultural compass. Encouraged from a young age to write stories of his own, he was trained to draw both perception and entertainment from the celebrated story treasuries of the East - such as The Thousand and One Nights. Tahir asserts that the simplest tales can contain complex interwoven layers of meaning, knowledge, and acuity - instructional material that is frequently invisible to the reader. By learning to recognize the subtleties, it's possible to mine a treasure trove of wisdom from the tales that surround our lives.

A Teaching Story from the tradition of Eastern folklore, this tale by seeks to divert the mind with entertainment while allowing a deeper didactic level to be received. Its author, Tahir Shah - one of the foremost writers of his generation - was himself raised in the ancient tradition of instructive stories and storytelling. The son of the prominent Sufi writer and thinker Idries Shah, Tahir was weaned from early childhood on folktales and folklore, drawn from all points of the cultural compass. Encouraged from a young age to write stories of his own, he was trained to draw both perception and entertainment from the celebrated story treasuries of the East - such as The Thousand and One Nights. Tahir asserts that the simplest tales can contain complex interwoven layers of meaning, knowledge, and acuity - instructional material that is frequently invisible to the reader. By learning to recognize the subtleties, it's possible to mine a treasure trove of wisdom from the tales that surround our lives.

One of the most prolific writers of his generation, Tahir Shah has published scores of books in a wide range of genres - including fiction and non-fiction, fantasy, humour, belles-lettres, research, and the humanities. Through a life devoted to considering the societies in which we live, Shah has amassed a series of aphorisms, many of which originate from his own thinking, with others collected on his travels. These maxims form a structure by which he lives and works, enabling him to stay on track as he travels beyond the next horizon.

One of the most prolific writers of his generation, Tahir Shah has published scores of books in a wide range of genres - including fiction and non-fiction, fantasy, humour, belles-lettres, research, and the humanities. Through a life devoted to considering the societies in which we live, Shah has amassed a series of aphorisms, many of which originate from his own thinking, with others collected on his travels. These maxims form a structure by which he lives and works, enabling him to stay on track as he travels beyond the next horizon.

An oddball and loner, Oliver Quinn was raised by his uncle, the proprietor of Ozymandias & Son - New York's most bizarre emporium of Oriental rugs. Through a series of what he believes to be coincidences, Oliver discovers a portal in the basement of the shop - a portal to a magical world called Zonus. Gradually, Oliver comes to understand that anything he had ever considered to be fact is actually fantasy, and that if he's to survive, he'll have to start thinking in an entirely new way. Most importantly, he grasps that another life form exists - overlaid atop our own - that of the jinns. Far from being the loveable blue genies of Hollywood, they are terrifying in the extreme. Learning that he's descended from an ancestral line of Jinnslayers, and that the greatest jinn in existence has escaped, Oliver Quinn is enrolled into the Cadenta, the Academy of Jinn Hunters - the legion of defenders who protect us all from rogue jinns. Through trials and tribulations, Oliver is made ready to take on the great jinn, Nequissimus, as life as we know it spirals out of control. With nothing as it seems, and with every route a potential danger zone, the young Jinnslayer has no choice but to grapple with uncanny, ever-changing versions of reality. A cross between A Thousand and One Nights and Men in Black, THE PERPLEXITY is the third extraordinary novel in Tahir Shah's much-acclaimed JINN HUNTER series. As bizarre as it is compelling, it sucks the reader deep into a realm conjured from the farthest limits of fantastical imagination.

The Hoopoe's Flight is a Teaching Story by Tahir Shah, one of the foremost writers of his generation, who was himself raised in the ancient tradition of stories and storytelling. The son of the prominent Sufi writer and thinker Idries Shah, Tahir was weaned on folktales and folklore, drawn from all points of the cultural compass. Encouraged to write stories of his own from early childhood, he was trained to draw both perception and entertainment from the great story treasuries, such as The Thousand and One Nights. Descended from a long line of storytellers, Tahir learnt that the simplest tale often contains interwoven layers of meaning, knowledge, and acuity frequently invisible to the reader - and that by learning to recognize the subtleties, it's possible to mine a treasure trove of wisdom.

On Backgammon Time is a Teaching Story by Tahir Shah, one of the foremost writers of his generation, who was himself raised in the ancient tradition of stories and storytelling. The son of the prominent Sufi writer and thinker Idries Shah, Tahir was weaned on folktales and folklore, drawn from all points of the cultural compass. Encouraged to write stories of his own from early childhood, he was trained to draw both perception and entertainment from the great story treasuries, such as The Thousand and One Nights. Descended from a long line of storytellers, Tahir learnt that the simplest tale often contains interwoven layers of meaning, knowledge, and acuity frequently invisible to the reader - and that by learning to recognize the subtleties, it's possible to mine a treasure trove of wisdom.

The Paradise Tree is a Teaching Story by Tahir Shah, one of the foremost writers of his generation, who was himself raised in the ancient tradition of stories and storytelling. The son of the prominent Sufi writer and thinker Idries Shah, Tahir was weaned on folktales and folklore, drawn from all points of the cultural compass. Encouraged to write stories of his own from early childhood, he was trained to draw both perception and entertainment from the great story treasuries, such as The Thousand and One Nights. Descended from a long line of storytellers, Tahir learnt that the simplest tale often contains interwoven layers of meaning, knowledge, and acuity frequently invisible to the reader - and that by learning to recognize the subtleties, it's possible to mine a treasure trove of wisdom.

King of the Jinns is a Teaching Story by Tahir Shah, one of the foremost writers of his generation, who was himself raised in the ancient tradition of stories and storytelling. The son of the prominent Sufi writer and thinker Idries Shah, Tahir was weaned on folktales and folklore, drawn from all points of the cultural compass. Encouraged to write stories of his own from early childhood, he was trained to draw both perception and entertainment from the great story treasuries, such as The Thousand and One Nights. Descended from a long line of storytellers, Tahir learnt that the simplest tale often contains interwoven layers of meaning, knowledge, and acuity frequently invisible to the reader - and that by learning to recognize the subtleties, it's possible to mine a treasure trove of wisdom.

The Wondrous Seed is a Teaching Story by Tahir Shah, one of the foremost writers of his generation, who was himself raised in the ancient tradition of stories and storytelling. The son of the prominent Sufi writer and thinker Idries Shah, Tahir was weaned on folktales and folklore, drawn from all points of the cultural compass. Encouraged to write stories of his own from early childhood, he was trained to draw both perception and entertainment from the great story treasuries, such as The Thousand and One Nights. Descended from a long line of storytellers, Tahir learnt that the simplest tale often contains interwoven layers of meaning, knowledge, and acuity frequently invisible to the reader - and that by learning to recognize the subtleties, it's possible to mine a treasure trove of wisdom.

The Forgotten Game is a Teaching Story by Tahir Shah, one of the foremost writers of his generation, who was himself raised in the ancient tradition of stories and storytelling. The son of the prominent Sufi writer and thinker Idries Shah, Tahir was weaned on folktales and folklore, drawn from all points of the cultural compass. Encouraged to write stories of his own from early childhood, he was trained to draw both perception and entertainment from the great story treasuries, such as The Thousand and One Nights. Descended from a long line of storytellers, Tahir learnt that the simplest tale often contains interwoven layers of meaning, knowledge, and acuity frequently invisible to the reader - and that by learning to recognize the subtleties, it's possible to mine a treasure trove of wisdom.

The Destiny Ring is a Teaching Story by Tahir Shah, one of the foremost writers of his generation, who was himself raised in the ancient tradition of stories and storytelling. The son of the prominent Sufi writer and thinker Idries Shah, Tahir was weaned on folktales and folklore, drawn from all points of the cultural compass. Encouraged to write stories of his own from early childhood, he was trained to draw both perception and entertainment from the great story treasuries, such as The Thousand and One Nights. Descended from a long line of storytellers, Tahir learnt that the simplest tale often contains interwoven layers of meaning, knowledge, and acuity frequently invisible to the reader - and that by learning to recognize the subtleties, it's possible to mine a treasure trove of wisdom.

The Cap of Invisibility is a Teaching Story by Tahir Shah, one of the foremost writers of his generation, who was himself raised in the ancient tradition of stories and storytelling. The son of the prominent Sufi writer and thinker Idries Shah, Tahir was weaned on folktales and folklore, drawn from all points of the cultural compass. Encouraged to write stories of his own from early childhood, he was trained to draw both perception and entertainment from the great story treasuries, such as The Thousand and One Nights. Descended from a long line of storytellers, Tahir learnt that the simplest tale often contains interwoven layers of meaning, knowledge, and acuity frequently invisible to the reader - and that by learning to recognize the subtleties, it's possible to mine a treasure trove of wisdom.

Mouse House is a Teaching Story by Tahir Shah, one of the foremost writers of his generation, who was himself raised in the ancient tradition of stories and storytelling. The son of the prominent Sufi writer and thinker Idries Shah, Tahir was weaned on folktales and folklore, drawn from all points of the cultural compass. Encouraged to write stories of his own from early childhood, he was trained to draw both perception and entertainment from the great story treasuries, such as The Thousand and One Nights. Descended from a long line of storytellers, Tahir learnt that the simplest tale often contains interwoven layers of meaning, knowledge, and acuity frequently invisible to the reader - and that by learning to recognize the subtleties, it's possible to mine a treasure trove of wisdom.

Changing the World is a Teaching Story by Tahir Shah, one of the foremost writers of his generation, who was himself raised in the ancient tradition of stories and storytelling. The son of the prominent Sufi writer and thinker Idries Shah, Tahir was weaned on folktales and folklore, drawn from all points of the cultural compass. Encouraged to write stories of his own from early childhood, he was trained to draw both perception and entertainment from the great story treasuries, such as The Thousand and One Nights. Descended from a long line of storytellers, Tahir learnt that the simplest tale often contains interwoven layers of meaning, knowledge, and acuity frequently invisible to the reader - and that by learning to recognize the subtleties, it's possible to mine a treasure trove of wisdom.

The Tale of Double Six is a Teaching Story by Tahir Shah, one of the foremost writers of his generation, who was himself raised in the ancient tradition of stories and storytelling. The son of the prominent Sufi writer and thinker Idries Shah, Tahir was weaned on folktales and folklore, drawn from all points of the cultural compass. Encouraged to write stories of his own from early childhood, he was trained to draw both perception and entertainment from the great story treasuries, such as The Thousand and One Nights. Descended from a long line of storytellers, Tahir learnt that the simplest tale often contains interwoven layers of meaning, knowledge, and acuity frequently invisible to the reader - and that by learning to recognize the subtleties, it's possible to mine a treasure trove of wisdom.

A Treasury of Tales is a Teaching Story by Tahir Shah, one of the foremost writers of his generation, who was himself raised in the ancient tradition of stories and storytelling. The son of the prominent Sufi writer and thinker Idries Shah, Tahir was weaned on folktales and folklore, drawn from all points of the cultural compass. Encouraged to write stories of his own from early childhood, he was trained to draw both perception and entertainment from the great story treasuries, such as The Thousand and One Nights. Descended from a long line of storytellers, Tahir learnt that the simplest tale often contains interwoven layers of meaning, knowledge, and acuity frequently invisible to the reader - and that by learning to recognize the subtleties, it's possible to mine a treasure trove of wisdom.

Eight strangers were clustered around the campfire of the caravanserai - silhouetted, ragged, and ripened by adventure. As the flames licked the darkness, sparks spitting up into the nocturnal firmament, the traveller dressed in orange cleared his throat and told his tale... And so starts Jinnlore, one of the eight extraordinary Caravanserai Stories - short tales that take the reader on a journey of enchantment and delight. Inspired by his Afghan grandfather's first book, Eastern Moonbeams, published a century ago, Tahir Shah's The Caravanserai Stories are part of the heritage of folklore, of which The Thousand and One Nights is a foundation stone. Shah says: 'Teaching stories such as these have been used throughout much of the world since the dawn of human society. Indeed, teaching stories, fables, legends, and wider folklore are like encoded documents of humanity - constituting a repository of knowledge amassed over millennia.' Regarded as one of the most important and prolific storytellers working today, Tahir Shah's body of work comprises more than sixty books, many of them containing tales and folklore gleaned from all corners of the world.