"...the Imagination (or love, or sympathy, or any other sentiment) induces knowledge, and knowledge of an 'object' which is proper to it..."
Henry Corbin (1903-1978) was a scholar, philosopher and theologian. He was a champion of the transformative power of the Imagination and of the transcendent reality of the individual in a world threatened by totalitarianisms of all kinds. One of the 20th century’s most prolific scholars of Islamic mysticism, Corbin was Professor of Islam & Islamic Philosophy at the Sorbonne in Paris and at the University of Teheran. He was a major figure at the Eranos Conferences in Switzerland. He introduced the concept of the
mundus imaginalis into contemporary thought. His work has provided a foundation for archetypal psychology as developed by James Hillman and influenced countless poets and artists worldwide. But Corbin’s central project was to provide a framework for understanding the unity of the religions of the Book: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. His great work
Alone with the Alone: Creative Imagination in the Sufism of Ibn ‘Arabi is a classic initiatory text of visionary spirituality that transcends the tragic divisions among the three great monotheisms. Corbin’s life was devoted to the struggle to free the religious imagination from fundamentalisms of every kind. His work marks a watershed in our understanding of the religions of the West and makes a profound contribution to the study of the place of the imagination in human life.
You can also find The Voyage and the Messenger and The Man of Light in Iranian Sufism via Google Books.
ReplyDeleteDo you happen to know if we will see any more translations in English (En Islam Iranien particularly)?
thanks - I'll get those on the post. I have not heard that anyone is currently working on En Islam Iranien - though some years ago a few people apparently made an initial attempt. And now that I think of it there is a book on Shi'ism, edited by Nasr et al. that does have some pages from that work translated. I will try to find time to track it down There may be some news about a book that will contain some new translations - stay tuned! - TC
ReplyDeleteHow about 'Mundus Imaginalis'?
ReplyDeleteThank you Gyrus. Duly noted.
ReplyDeleteScribd has a free downloadable .pdf translation into English of Henry Corbin's *In Iranian Islam - Vol.2, Suhrawardi and the Persian Platonists* at:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.scribd.com/doc/9664772/Henry-Corbins-In-Iranian-Islam-Vol2
Registration is free but required.
I haven't examined it yet, so cannot comment further.
This is potentially quite amazing - my internet connection is too slow to access the document but I'll get somewhere where I can as soon as possible. Many thanks.
ReplyDeleteCharles Cameron: Thank you very much for the link to an English translation of En Islam Iranien vol. II! That's certainly more than I could hope for.
ReplyDeleteTom Cheetham: I found that the aforementioned anthology edited by Nasr et al (Shiʻism: Doctrines, Thought, and Spirituality) with two articles by Corbin is available in parts on Google Books.
Keep up the good work with the Legacy!
Thanks so much for the Nasr citation - that's the one I was looking for. I'll add it to the list.
ReplyDeleteI found another article on Scribd: The Time of Eranos. (I suppose Cyclical Time in Mazdaism and Ismailism in the same document is identical with the first part of Cyclical Time and Ismaili Gnosis.)
ReplyDeleteThanks very much for this. So nice to have some help. Also notice Massignon's essay in this volume. - Tom
ReplyDelete"Réalisme et symbolisme des couleurs en cosmologie shî'ite" with Deutsche Zusammenfassung and English summary, in Eranos Jahrbuch 1972: The Realms of Colour / Die Welt der Farben / Le monde des couleurs, Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1974. (Searchable text through Google Books.)
ReplyDeleteDramatic Element Common to the Gnostic Cosmogonoies of The Religions of The Book:
ReplyDeletehttp://english.grimoar.cz/?Loc=dl&Lng=2&Lng=2&Back=aut&UID=1587
Temple & Contemplation Part 1:
http://english.grimoar.cz/?Loc=dl&Lng=2&Lng=2&Back=aut&UID=1498
Temple & Contemplation Part 2:
http://english.grimoar.cz/?Loc=dl&Lng=2&Lng=2&Back=aut&UID=1499
Unfortunately, Part II of "Avicenna and the Visionary Recital" (Translation of the Persian Commentary on the Recital of Hayy Ibn Yaqzan) is missing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting such a valuable resource. I'm discovering a new world and your work has always opened doors
ReplyDeletedelighted to be of use - thanks.
ReplyDeleteΔΗΜΗΤΡΗΣ ΤΣΟΥΜΑΝΗΣ: It's also in the book as such and not only in the online version that part two of the French original edition unfortunately is missing - a translation of the Persian commentary on the "Recital of Hayy Ibn Yaqzan".
ReplyDeleteI will also mention that the article "The Eternal Sophia" has been mentioned on the blog in September, but is not yet included in this list.
thanks - now added. I will also have the French version of The Eternal Sophia posted in a week or two. - TC
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know where I can get a copy of "Shi'i hermeneutics" by Corbin? Google books has blocked most chapters of "Shi'ism: Doctrines, thoughts and spirituality".
ReplyDeleteJust uploaded Swedenborg and Esoteric Islam to SCRIBD:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.scribd.com/doc/32973654/Swedenborg-Esoteric-Islam-by-Henry-Corbin
Just uploaded 'The Theme of the Voyage & the Messenger' to SCRIBD:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.scribd.com/doc/32975637/The-Theme-of-the-Voyage-the-Messenger-by-Henry-Corbin
Uploaded 'A Shi'ite Liturgy of the Grail' to SCRIBD:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.scribd.com/doc/32971400/A-Shi-ite-Liturgy-of-the-Grail-by-Henry-Corbin