Mount Qaf
Erland joins author Elif Shafak on an imaginary journey to explore the myth and magic of Mount Qaf
In his second series for The Essay, composer Erland Cooper turns his attention once again to the mythical world. This time he embarks on five imaginary journeys to mythic mountains from around the world, scored by Erland's own music. Accompanying him are writers and storytellers who know all about these legendary locations.
Tonight we visit Mount Qaf with Elif Shafak, an author and storyteller who has written 13 novels, most recently There Are Rivers in the Sky. She first heard about Mount Qaf as a child growing up in Turkey.
Extracts from The Conference of the Birds by Farid ud-Din 'Attar translated by Afham Darbandi and Dick Davis, Penguin Classics.
Reader - Molly Gromadzki
Violin - Freya Goldmark
Producer: Victoria Ferran
Exec producer: Susan Marling
A Just Radio production for 蜜芽传媒 Radio 3
On radio
Broadcast
- Tomorrow 21:45蜜芽传媒 Radio 3
Death in Trieste
A 1760s murder still informs ideas about aesthetics, a certain sort of sex, and death.
Watch: My Deaf World
Five compelling experiences of what it is like to be deaf in 21st-century Britain.
The Book that Changed Me
Five figures from the arts and science introduce books that changed their lives and work.
Download The Essay
Download all the episodes from the series and listen at your leisure.
Podcast
-
![]()
The Essay
Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond.
