PD PRESS BULLETIN JULY 2021

ASK HAFIZ

Wars have created refugees throughout human history. People forced to leave their lives and often their loved ones for fear for their lives, having to start again in a strange land with an unknown language and strange customs, while the heart breaks for their previous homes and those left behind. Although there are many millions of such stories, only a handful are published.

[Above: Sahar Muradi]

“Ask Hafiz” is one such story, written by writer and performer Sahar Muradi, who fled Afghanistan to start a new life in New York. In this short story, she tells of the fleeing, and the battle to establish a new life, while seeking answers and solace in the writings of the ancient Persian poet Shamsuddin Muhammed Hafiz-e Shirazi, which are used for divination.

[Above: Hafiz]

The story is well told in simple language and with a warmth of eternal hope.
“Ask Hafiz” was made into a performance at the Ragas Live Festival at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York, which was recorded and may be viewed by following this link:
https://rubinmuseum.org/mediacenter/ask-hafiz

This book was published by Thornwillow Press.