ISLAMIC MYSTICAL POETRY

MAHMOOD JAMAL was born in Lucknow, India. His family moved to Pakistan and in 1967 he came to London, where he has lived ever since. An award-winning film-maker and poet, he is the editor and translator of The Penguin Book of Modern Urdu Poetry. Jamal has several poetry collections to his name and has been published widely in anthologies of British poetry. His Sugar-coated Pill: Selected Poems (2006) received wide critical acclaim. Jamal works as an independent producer and writer, and has produced several documentaries, notably a series called Islamic Conversations. He was also a lead writer on Family Pride, Britain’s first Asian soap, and he wrote and produced the groundbreaking television drama Turning World for Channel 4. He has a degree in South Asian Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.