Books published by ISF Publishing

A serious, yet entertaining, look at the impediments in current thought which prevent certain forms of understanding between people. The title story was made into an award-winning film with script by Idries Shah, and chosen as an Outstanding Film of the Year.

AMERICAN ENGLISH EDITION

AMERICAN ENGLISH EDITION

For more than thirty years, The Institute for Cultural Research (ICR) led the field in stimulating debate and examining ideas within the humanities. Among the Institute's active followers was J. D. Salinger, Robert Graves, Nobel Laureate Doris Lessing, and many others from all walks of life.During its long and distinguished service, ICR published dozens of papers on cultural and cross-cultural themes. Written by scientists, scholars, novelists, musicians, and an array of others, these papers formed a unique resource that is as relevant today as it was decades ago.In the years since ICR ceased formal activities, The Idries Shah Foundation has continued the spirit of its work, and have republished the full range of original monographs.

Una mirada seria - pero al mismo tiempo entretenida - a los obstaculos presentes en el pensamiento actual que impiden el desarrollo de ciertas formas de comprension entre las personas.

Un grupo de hombres intenta examinar un elefante en una habitación oscura.Agarrando diferentes partes - una oreja, una pierna, la cola - cada uno de ellos confunde la parte que está tocando con la totalidad… y se convence de que el elefante es un abanico o una cuerda o un pilar, etcétera.Con esta fábula del gigante Sufi Jalaluddin Rumi, la cual tiene más de setecientos años de antigüedad, Idries Shah presenta el punto de vista Sufi de que la cristianismo y el islam surgen a partir de un mismo origen esencial.Basado en sus famosas charlas en la Universidad de Ginebra, este libro deslumbra por la amplitud de su erudición y la profundidad de sus ideas.En un mundo dividido por las diferencias culturales y religiosas, El elefante en la oscuridad nos ofrece nuevas ideas, esperanza y la habilidad para mirar de un modo novedoso aquello que ya creemos saber.

In Idries Shah's Wisdom of the Idiots, the 'idiots' are Sufis, called this because their wisdom penetrates to a depth which renders it inaccessible to the merely intelligent or academically-knowledgeable. The exercise-stories of the Sufis are tools prepared for a specific purpose.On this level the movements of the characters in a story portray psychological processes, and the story becomes a working blueprint of those processes.Wisdom of the Idiots has been awarded many prizes, including two gold medals, one for being 'Best Book', in conjunction with UNESCO's World Book Year.