“Occasions for Poetry: Politics, Literature, and Imagination Among the Early Modern Ottomans” by Oscar Aguirre-Mandujano
An Iranian grandee once asked this reviewer if he had enjoyed a dish of braised sheep brains. I replied, quoting Sa’di, “a lenifying lie is better than an irksome truth.” Face saved on all sides. This incident illustrates an important aspect of Iranian and Persianate culture: the use of poetic language to shape and elevate…