The Calligrapher’s Garden

Hassan Massoudy was born in Najaf, Iraq. He moved to France in 1969, where he studied at L'École des Beaux-Arts. His work has been exhibited throughout Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, and is in the permanent collections of the British Museum and the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, among others. Nineteen books of his calligraphy have been published in France, along with his autobiography, Si Loin de l'Euphrate: Une jeunesse d'artiste en Irak.

Hassan Massoudy's elegant calligraphy depicts the four seasons of the garden. He draws his inspiration from writers, artists and traditional proverbs, and on the facing page, this source is handwritten in Arabic alongside the English text. Introduction by Venetia Porter of the British Museum. Contains 56 colour and 14 b/w calligraphies.

Poets cited:Pir Sultan Abdal 1480-1550, Turkish poetGentil Bernard 1708-1775, French poet and librettistWilliam Blake 1757-1827, English poet, painter and printmakerNicolas Boileau 1636-1711, French poet and criticHenri Bosco 1888-1976, French novelist and poetBuson 1716-1783, Japanese poet and painterRené Char 1907-1988, French poetChiyo-Ni 1703-1775, Japanese poetLucie Delarue-Mardrus 1874-1945, French poet, novelist and sculptorDogen 1200-1253, Zen Buddhist philosopherSaint Francis of Assisi 1182-1226, Italian patron saint of animals and the environmentTheophile Gautier 1811-1872, French poet, dramatist, novelist and criticYoka Gengaku 665-713 Chinese Zen masterKahlil Gibran 1883-1931, Lebanese poet, artist and philosopherEugène Guillevic 1907-1997, French poetZafir al-Haddad 11th century, Egyptian poetVictor Hugo 1802-1885, French novelist, poet and playwrightJohann Gottfried Von Herder 1744-1803, German philosopher, poet, literary criticKobayashi Issa 1763-1827, Japanese poet and Buddhist priestErnst Jünger 1895-1998, German writerSaint Kabir 15th century, Indian poet and saintIbn Khafaja 11th century, Arab poet from AndalusiaIbn Khanzabeh 10th century, Arab poet and politicianOmar Khayyam 1048-1131, Persian poet, mathematician, philosopher, astronomerJacques Lacarrière 1925-2005, French writerLao Tzu ca 6th century BCE, Chinese Taoist philosopherIlya Abu Madhi 1889-1957, Lebanese poetSidi Abou Madyan 12th century, Andalusian Sufi poetHenri Matisse 1869-1954, French artistCatulle Mendès 1841-1909, French poet, playwright and novelistHenri de Montherlant 1895-1972, French essayist, dramatist and novelistTamim Ibn Al Mouaaz 948-985 Tunisian-Egyptian poetCharles d'Orléans 1394-1465, French duke and poetHonorat de Racan 1589-1670, French writer and poetHenri de Régnier 1864-1936, French poetSaadi 1184-1283, Persian poetAl-Sanawbari 10th century, poet from AntiochSaryu Japanese poetIbn al-Sayegh 14th century, Arab poetTu Fu 8th century, Chinese poetNicolas Vauquelin 1567-1649, French poetPaul Verlaine 1844-1896, French poetWang-Wei 8th century, Chinese poet and painterIbn Zaydoun 1003-1071, Andalusian poet