Crazy For Love: Layla and the Mad Poet
Anthony Sattin on what is said by some to be the most beautiful poem in the Arab world, Layla and Majnun, which was also the inspiration for Eric Clapton's seminal pop song.
The inspiration for Eric Clapton's seminal pop song, 'Layla and Majnun' is said to be the most beautiful poem in the Arab world and beyond.
Pre-empting Romeo and Juliet by centuries, Layla and Majnun is the classic Middle East love story. Sitting at the heart of pre-Islamic Arab culture, its message is universal and it has since crossed borders and transcended language barriers even spreading as far as India and Turkey.
Based on a tale of thwarted love and poetry sent on the wind, Anthony Sattin tells the tale of its creator - Majnun - whose name is the word for 'mad' or 'crazy' in Arabic and tries to find out if he, or the object of his love, were real or imagined, fact or fiction.
Producer: Sara Jane Hall.
Last on
Broadcasts
- Sun 5 Sep 2010 16:30±«Óãtv Radio 4 FM
- Sat 11 Sep 2010 23:30±«Óãtv Radio 4