‘The desert was lost in the realm of your heart. What can this desert be?’ Rumi

Celebrated master calligrapher Hassan Massoudy carries the desert within him. Through majestic, sweeping strokes, he depicts its breath-taking beauty and wonder. Massoudy draws inspiration from the words and wisdom of some of our greatest poets and writers – Rumi, Goethe, Baudelaire, Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Khalil Gibran – who have lost themselves in the mysteries of the desert.

Beautifully illustrated, with more than 60 colour and black and white illustrations Calligraphies of the Desert offers inspiration for meditation. Speaking to the senses, it is a treasure for travellers, poets and dreamers looking to transcend time and place.

Hassan Massoudy was born in Najaf, Iraq. He moved to France in 1969, where he studied at L’École des Beaux-Arts. Considered to be one of the greatest living calligraphers, his work has influenced a generation of artists. It has been exhibited throughout Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, and is housed in the permanent collections of the British Museum and the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, among others. Nineteen books of Massoudy’s calligraphy have been published in France, where he now lives. His publications in English include The Calligrapher’s Garden, Calligraphies of Love and Calligraphies of the Desert.