Published by Dolores Savannah Books
Poland 2026
Original title: Podróż po miłość. Emilia #1
Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi was born on September
30, 1207 in Balch, a city belonging to the province of Khorasan located in
Central Asia and lying within such countries as Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Rumi's father was a teacher and preacher, while
his grandfather was a famous scholar. The poet's mother, on the other hand, was
related to the rulers of Khorezm, a historical land located on the Amu-daria
River in present-day Uzbekistan. When Rumi was still a child, his parents left Balch
because they feared the approaching armies of Genghis Khan (1155 or 1162-1227).
So they headed west to Anatolia, a historical land that is part of present-day
Turkey and lies on the Asia Minor peninsula. Eventually they arrived in Konya,
where they decided to settle permanently. Rumi's father took a teaching job
there in a madrassa, where he taught Islamic sciences. Jalaluddin studied under
him, while after his death he took his parent's place.
At the same time, Rumi began to take a serious
interest in Sufism. His genius for mystical meditations clearly manifested
itself after meeting Shamsuddin Tabriz (1185-1248). This happened in 1244. It
was because of Shamsuddin that the fire of mystical love began to burn in
Rumi's heart, which further stimulated the poet's imagination. His outstanding
talent continues to this day to be the way of the Sufi in his quest for Unity
with the Beloved. Shams of Tabriz possessed an extremely expansive personality
and great strength of spirit. An astonishingly strong spiritual bond developed
between him and Rumi, to the detriment of the poet's family, as well as his
students and friends. Rumi spent his days meditating and talking with Shams.
The intensity of these feelings led him to consider Shams the creator of divine
love.
 |
| Jalǎl al-Dĩn Mahammad Rũmĩ (1207-1273) |
The most important point of Rumi's message was
the notion that love is the power that inspires the universe. In turn, the
universe, properly understood, is a harmonious whole whose individual elements
are interconnected with the help of God-centered love. A human being created as
a part of this shapely whole, or rather as its culmination, can achieve not
only inner harmony, but also harmony with the universe, only if he learns to
love God. Love will lead him not only to love his neighbor, but to love the
entire divine creation.
For Rumi, as well as for all Sufis, drawing
closer to God is the path to true fulfillment in life. The unparalleled beauty
of reflecting this truth in poetry contributed greatly to his immense
popularity. With identical accuracy, Rumi described the joy of closeness to God
and the sorrow caused by moving away from Him. Rumi – like other Sufi poets –
depicts God as the Beloved, while he defines the human soul as seeking its
bridegroom, or God. Jalal ad-Din ar-Rumi was certainly a master of capturing,
understanding and depicting the gravity of man's experience of moving away and
losing God.
The figure of Rumi and his life described by the
poet's son is really only the background of the plot of Dolores Savannah
Ponin's debut novel. However, one cannot pass by indifferently the events that
took place in the Middle Ages and concerned this outstanding Persian mystic.
They constitute, as it were, a link between two eras: the Middle Ages and
Romanticism. On the other hand, however, it is safe to say that a
twenty-year-old heroine named Emilia, who seems to lead a really stable life,
comes to the fore here. For the year is 1842, Poland is practically
non-existent, having been torn apart by the invaders, while the effects of the
November Uprising are still acutely felt. Whatever is Polish and connected with
literature and art has found refuge in France. Paris, on the other hand, is a
place where Polishness thrives. Turkey is also not without significance in this
context.
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Ludwika Śniadecka (1802-1866)
A Polish activist in Turkey during the Partition period.
Watercolor by S. Prószyński; the portrait was created in 1825. |
Nevertheless, Emilia Konarska does not actively
participate in all this, as she has taken refuge in a convent. It is behind its
walls that she has found safety and shelter from the world. The girl is just
before her final vows, while the mother superior has extremely serious plans
for her. Although the strict convent rule significantly restricts her freedom,
Emilia does not complain at all. She seems to think that this is the way it
must be. She lost her father in the November Uprising, or at least she thinks
he died, while her mother, as a result of various tragic events, also died. So
what else is left for Emilia but to dedicate her life to God?
When Emilia thinks that nothing will really
change in her convent life anymore, then quite unexpectedly a Tartar appears in
the convent, who claims that the girl's father did not die in the uprising
after all. He is alive, but is in captivity and needs outside help to get out
of there. Since love for her father overshadows everything for Emilia, the girl
does not think long about taking further steps. With the permission of her
Mother Superior, she leaves the convent walls with the hope of returning soon.
She only wants to get her father out of captivity, and then return to the
convent life and carry out the plans of her prioress. Will this actually
happen? Is Emilia Konarska's destiny really to live a life of confinement
behind convent walls? What did such a fate have in store for her? Was Selim
Akhmatovich's visit accidental? Or was it fate that sent him so that Emilia,
thanks to this, would understand what her true vocation is?
In addition to the series of events and
adventures experienced by the individual characters in the novel, the reader
clearly sees the intermingling of two cultures, namely Western-Christian and
Eastern-Muslim. In this case, Islam, based on the teachings of Rumi, is a faith
that is characterized primarily by love, which is a faith that is friendly to
the other, so that many barriers are removed. What really matters is love,
which can work wonders. This feeling is the most important both in the context
of the events unfolding in the medieval era and having to do with Rumi, and in
relation to the situation existing in the 19th century, when Emilia Konarska
lives and struggles with her life problems.
 |
Michał Czajkowski (1804-1886)
An émigré independence activist in Turkey;
founder of Adampol - a Polish settlement near Istanbul. |
As the author devotes a lot of space to the
culture of the East, the reader has the opportunity to learn about the customs
and way of life of people who follow Islam. In addition to fictional
characters, on the pages of the book we also meet typical historical figures.
Among them are not only the already mentioned Rumi and his friend Shams of
Tabriz, but also Ludwika Śniadecka (1802-1886) or Michał Czajkowski
(1804-1886). There is also mention of Adam Mickiewicz (1798-1855), or the
English Queen Victoria (1819-1901). In this connection, mention should also be
made of the British plot, which Dolores Savannah Ponin introduced into the
novel's plot in order to make it more interesting.
I must admit that I found it difficult to tear
myself away from this book. While reading, I got the impression as if the
author had transported me to some fairy-tale land, where life goes on according
to its own rules, and the characters are seemingly familiar to us from history,
and yet completely unlike them. Some kind of hard-to-identify atmosphere
surrounds them. I once read an excellent book aimed at young people by a German
writer – Antonia Michaelis. The novel was titled Tiger Moon (in German:
Tigermond). It is a typical fairy tale with elements of Eastern culture. So I couldn't
help thinking that between Dolores Savannah Ponin's work and Antonia Michaelis'
book one could put an equal sign, although the two novels differ in plot and
creation of characters. What they have in common, however, is that special
atmosphere that can really work wonders in the reader's life.
In my opinion, Daughters of the Distant Shores
trilogy is a kind of breath of fresh air on the Polish publishing market and
generally among the works of our domestic authors. It is an excellent read for
those who like moral novels with history in the background, as well as for
readers who prefer family sagas. If, on the other hand, such a slightly
fairy-tale climate is close to someone's heart, then of course they should
reach for Emilia.
Agnes Anne Rose
translator, essayist, journalist, author
