Octagon Press

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Octagon Press
Octagon Press Logo.jpg
StatusDefunct (2014)
Founded1960
Founder Idries Shah
Country of originFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Headquarters locationLondon
DistributionWorldwide
Nonfiction topicshumanities, cultural geography, literature, poetry, folklore, psychology, travel and philosophy
Official website Octagon Press (Archived)

Octagon Press was a cross-cultural publishing house based in London, UK. It was founded in 1960 by Sufi teacher, Idries Shah to establish the historical and cultural context for his ideas. [1] The company ceased trading in 2014. [2]

Contents

Description

Octagon Press published many of Shah's later works. [3] In addition, the publishing house has produced translations of Sufi classics [4] and titles by other notable authors, focusing on the fields of the humanities, cultural geography, literature, poetry, folklore, psychology, travel and philosophy. [5]

Shah used Octagon Press to increase the availability of information on Afghanistan, aware that there would be a need for such information after the country's recent history. [1] Two of his books, Darkest England (1987) and The Natives are Restless (1988), "traced affinities between the English and Afghan peoples". [3]

For many years Octagon Press sold the academic monographs published by the London Institute for Cultural Research, now sold directly by the ICR. A number of the classical works were published with the aid of the Sufi Trust.

The Octagon Press Limited was registered in the United Kingdom as a limited liability company at Companies House on 10 January 1972. [6]

In 2014, it was stated on the official web site that "The Octagon Press announces that it is to cease from trading in its current form. The works of Idries Shah will henceforth be represented by ISF Publishing, a part of The Idries Shah Foundation. Existing editions of Octagon Press titles will no longer be available. Idries Shah's corpus of work will be relaunched in entirety in new printed and eBook editions." [2]

Authors

Classical translations

Notable classical Sufi authors in translation include:

The compilation Four Sufi Classics contains:

Reception

Idries Shah's books on Sufism have achieved wide critical acclaim. He was the subject of a BBC documentary ("One Pair of Eyes: Dreamwalkers") in 1970, [21] and two of his works ( The Way of the Sufi and Reflections) were chosen as "Outstanding Book of the Year" by the BBC's "The Critics" programme. [22] Among other honours, Shah won six first prizes at the UNESCO World Book Year in 1973, [21] and the Islamic scholar James Kritzeck, commenting on Shah's Tales of the Dervishes , said that it was "beautifully translated". [22] At the time of his death, Shah's books had sold over 15 million copies in a dozen languages worldwide. [23]

Nobel Prize–winning author Doris Lessing, who also had work published by Octagon Press, praised Shah's many books and saw him as a "good friend and teacher". [24]

Relief efforts

Idries Shah set up a charitable agency, Afghan Relief [25] which operated from 1984 to 2002. Its aim was to provide medical, educational and other aid to refugees [3] and Shah wrote books to assist in the operation, some of which are published by Octagon. The relief effort was carried out in association with The Institute for the Study of Human Knowledge (ISHK) and their children's imprint, Hoopoe Books. Hoopoe provides books and complementary teaching materials to schools and children in Afghanistan, with official permission from Afghanistan's Minister of Education in Kabul. [26] Hoopoe also provides relief for Pakistan.

The Kite Runner companion curriculum, published by Amnesty International USA contains a list of books recommended for further reading by the Afghanistan Relief Organization (ARO, founded in 1998 and not to be confused with Shah's original Afghan Relief). [27] These recommended books include several works for children by Idries Shah published by Hoopoe, Ikbal Ali Shah's Afghanistan of the Afghans and works by Saira and Safia Shah published by Octagon. [28]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Idries Shah</span> Afghan writer and Sufi teacher (1924–1996)

Idries Shah, also known as Idris Shah, né Sayed Idries el-Hashimi and by the pen name Arkon Daraul, was an Afghan author, thinker and teacher in the Sufi tradition. Shah wrote over three dozen books on topics ranging from psychology and spirituality to travelogues and culture studies.

A teaching story is a narrative that has been deliberately created as a vehicle for the transmission of wisdom. The practice has been used in a number of religious and other traditions, though writer Idries Shah's use of it was in the context of Sufi teaching and learning, within which this body of material has been described as the "most valuable of the treasures in the human heritage". The range of teaching stories is enormous, including anecdotes, accounts of meetings between teachers and pupils, biographies, myths, fairy tales, fables and jokes. Such stories frequently have a long life beyond the initial teaching situation and have contributed vastly to the world's store of folklore and literature.

Omar Ali-Shah was a prominent exponent of modern Naqshbandi Sufism. He wrote a number of books on the subject, and was head of a large number of Sufi groups, particularly in Latin America, Europe and Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khalilullah Khalili</span> Afghan Persian writer and poet (1907–1987)

Khalilullah Khalili was Afghanistan's foremost 20th century poet as well as a noted historian, university professor, diplomat and royal confidant. He was the last of the great classical Persian poets and among the first to introduce modern Persian poetry and Nimai style to Afghanistan. He had also expertise in Khorasani style and was a follower of Farrukhi Sistani. Almost alone among Afghanistan's poets, he enjoyed a following in Iran where his selected poems have been published. His works have been praised by renowned Iranian literary figures and intellectuals. Many see him as the greatest contemporary poet of the Persian language in Afghanistan. He is also known for his major work "Hero of Khorasan", a controversial biography of Habībullāh Kalakānī, Emir of Afghanistan in 1929.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ikbal Ali Shah</span> Indian-Afghan author and diplomat

Sirdar Ikbal Ali Shah was an Indian-Afghan author and diplomat descended from the Sadaat of Paghman. Born and educated in India, he came to Britain as a young man to continue his education in Edinburgh, where he married a young Scotswoman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saira Elizabeth Luiza Shah</span> Scottish writer

Saira Elizabeth Luiza Shah was a Scottish writer who wrote under the pen name Morag Murray Abdullah. She met the Pashtun author, poet, diplomat, scholar, and savant Sirdar Ikbal Ali Shah and wrote about her marriage to this chieftain's son and her travels in the North-West Frontier Province of British India and the mountains of Afghanistan.

Robert Darr, also known as Robert Abdul Hayy Darr, is the author of several books on Sufism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amina Shah</span> Author, poet, storyteller

Amina Maxwell-Hudson was a British anthologiser of Sufi stories and folk tales, and was for many years the Chairperson of the College of Storytellers. She was the sister of the Sufi writers Idries Shah and Omar Ali-Shah, and the daughter of Sirdar Ikbal Ali Shah and Saira Elizabeth Luiza Shah, a Scottish woman. Her nephew is the travel writer and documentary filmmaker Tahir Shah; her nieces are Safia Shah and the writer and documentary filmmaker Saira Shah.

<i>The Middle East Bedside Book</i>

The Middle East Bedside Book is a collection of stories and information about the Middle East, edited by Anglo-Afghan author, Tahir Shah. The book was published in June 1991 by The Octagon Press.

<i>The Sufis</i> 1964 book on Sufism by Idries Shah

The Sufis is one of the best known books on Sufism by the writer Idries Shah. First published in 1964 with an introduction by Robert Graves, it introduced Sufi ideas to the West in a format acceptable to non-specialists at a time when the study of Sufism had largely become the reserve of Orientalists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jan-Fishan Khan</span> Afghan noble chieftain

Saiyed Muhammed Shah, better known by his title as Jan-Fishan Khan, was a 19th-century Afghan noble chieftain (nawab) He participated in the First Anglo-Afghan War (1839–42) and the Indian Rebellion of 1857, and on both occasions, he supported the British. For his services to the British, Khan was granted the estate of Sardhana and is the forefather of the Nawabs of Sardhana.

The Institute for the Study of Human Knowledge (ISHK) is a non-profit educational charity and publisher established in 1969 by the psychologist and writer Robert E. Ornstein and based in Los Altos, California, in the United States. Its aim is to provide public education and information on issues of health and human nature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safia Shah</span> British writer, editor and television news producer

Safia Thomas is a British writer, editor, television news producer and member of the Afghan-Indian Shah family.

<i>The Dermis Probe</i> 1970 book by Idries Shah

The Dermis Probe is a book by Idries Shah published by Octagon Press in 1970. A paperback edition was published in 1989 and again in 1993. The stories presented in the book are also available in an audio format.

<i>The Hundred Tales of Wisdom</i>

The Hundred Tales of Wisdom is a translation from the Persian by Idries Shah of the "Life, Teachings and Miracles of Jalaludin Rumi" from Aflaki's Munaqib, together with certain important stories from Rumi’s own works, traditionally known by that title. It was published by Octagon Press in 1978.

<i>Special Illumination: The Sufi Use of Humour</i> 1977 book by Idries Shah

Special Illumination: The Sufi Use Of Humour is a book by the writer Idries Shah published Octagon Press in 1977. Later editions were published in 1983, 1989 and 1997.

<i>Caravan of Dreams</i> (book)

Caravan of Dreams is a book by Idries Shah first published in 1968 by Octagon Press as part of his presentation of traditional Eastern teachings and Sufi ideas for contemporary society. New editions of the book were published in 2015 by The Idries Shah Foundation.

<i>The Elephant in the Dark</i> (book) 2016 book by Idries Shah

The Elephant in the Dark is a book by the writer Idries Shah, based on lectures he delivered at the University of Geneva as Visiting Professor in 1972–1973. He was invited to speak on the topic of “Salvation as a total surrender to God: an attempt at dialogue between Christians and Muslims.”

The Idries Shah Foundation (ISF) is an independent educational and cultural charity, set up by the family of the late thinker, writer, and teacher in the Sufi mystical tradition, Idries Shah, who wrote over three dozen books on topics ranging from psychology and spirituality to travelogues and culture studies.

<i>The Pleasantries of the Incredible Mulla Nasrudin</i> Book by Idries Shah

The Pleasantries of the Incredible Mullah Nasrudin is a book by the writer Idries Shah, based on lectures he delivered at the University of Geneva as Visiting Professor in 1972–73. The book is a collection of tales, none more than two pages and almost all less than a page long, about the folkloric character Mulla Nasrudin. Published by Octagon Press in 1968, it was re-released in paperback, ebook and audiobook editions by The Idries Shah Foundation in 2015.

References

  1. 1 2 Staff. "Idries Shah – Grand Sheikh of the Sufis whose inspirational books enlightened the West about the moderate face of Islam (obituary)". The Daily Telegraph . London. Archived from the original on 25 May 2000. Retrieved 16 October 2008.
  2. 1 2 Staff (2014). "Octagon Press". Octagon Press. Archived from the original on 28 October 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 Cecil, Robert (26 November 1996). "Obituary: Idries Shah". The Independent . London. Archived from the original on 25 January 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2008.
  4. Malik, Jamal; Hinnells, John R., eds. (2006). Sufism in the West . London, UK/New York, NY: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group. p.  32. ISBN   0-415-27407-9.
  5. Staff. "About the Octagon Press". Octagon Press. Archived from the original on 21 July 2009. Retrieved 16 October 2008.
  6. Company details of Octagon Press Limited (The) at ukdata.com
  7. Lamond, Frederic (2004). Fifty Years of Wicca. Green Magic. p. 9. ISBN   0-9547230-1-5.
  8. Pearson, Joanne (2002). A Popular Dictionary of Paganism. London, UK/New York, NY: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group. p. 28. ISBN   0-7007-1591-6.
  9. Staff. "Historical figures: Sir Richard Francis Burton (1821 – 1890)". BBC History. Archived from the original on 23 February 2009. Retrieved 26 May 2009.{{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  10. Stacey, Don (18 May 2006). "Obituaries: Edward Campbell". The Stage . Archived from the original on 20 September 2006. Retrieved 4 October 2008.
  11. Balland, Daniel. "BACCA-YE SAQQA". Encyclopædia Iranica (Online ed.). United States: Columbia University.
  12. "Habibullah Kalakani". Afghanistan Online. Retrieved 3 September 2006.
  13. Dupree, Louis: "Afghanistan", page 459. Princeton University Press, 1973
  14. Smoley, Richard; Kinney, Jay (2004). Hidden Wisdom. Wheaton, IL/Chennai, India: Quest Books. p. 244. ISBN   0-8356-0844-1.
  15. Galin, Müge (1997). Between East and West: Sufism in the Novels of Doris Lessing. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. p. 100. ISBN   0-7914-3383-8.
  16. Staff (14 May 1987). "Khalilullah Khalili Dies at 79; Afghan Poet and Ex-Official". The New York Times . Retrieved 26 May 2008.
  17. Staff (2 December 1996). "Idries Shah, 72, Indian-Born Writer of Books on Sufism (obituary)". The New York Times . Retrieved 25 May 2009.
  18. Shah, Tahir (9 July 2006). "Expert's Picks: Travel & Adventure". The Washington Post . Retrieved 26 May 2009.
  19. Staff (2000). The Manipulated Mind : Brainwashing, Conditioning and Indoctrination. ISBN   1883536227.
  20. Staff (24 April 2008). "Poetry of Rumi a Unifying Force of Civilizations". America.gov. Retrieved 26 May 2009.
  21. 1 2 The Middle East and North Africa . Europa Publications Limited, Taylor & Francis Group, International Publications Service. 1988. p.  952. ISBN   978-0-905118-50-5.
  22. 1 2 Lessing, Doris; Elwell-Sutton, L. P. (22 October 1970). "Letter to the Editors by Doris Lessing, with a reply by L. P. Elwell-Sutton". The New York Review of Books . Retrieved 5 November 2008.
  23. Westerlund, David, ed. (2004). Sufism in Europe and North America . New York, NY: RoutledgeCurzon. pp.  136–138. ISBN   0-415-32591-9.
  24. Lessing, Doris. "On the Death of Idries Shah (excerpt from Shah's obituary in the London The Daily Telegraph)". dorislessing.org. Retrieved 3 October 2008.
  25. Afghan Relief was registered with the UK Charity Commission (no. 289910). It was founded 25 July 1984 and ceased to exist and was removed from the registry on 3 October 2002. See Charity Commission record. It used the same Post Office box number in London as the Society for Sufi Studies for its address [ permanent dead link ]
  26. Staff. "Hoopoe Children's Books: Books for Afghanistan". Hoopoe Books. Retrieved 26 May 2009.
  27. Afghanistan Relief Organization (ARO) is a non-political, non-religious, nonprofit 501(c)(3) humanitarian organization, registered in the United States and in Afghanistan, founded in the United States in 1998.
  28. Staff. "The Kite Runner companion curriculum (pdf)" (PDF). Amnesty International USA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 June 2009. Retrieved 26 May 2009.