Idries Shah
’I sometimes wish that we would have some nicer food and different kinds of things to eat,’ a wood-cutter’s daughter tells her father one evening.Her simple request sparks a fantastical chain of events that sees the lives of the wood-cutter and his daughter improved by the mysterious ’Mushkil Gusha’, the Remover of Difficulties.On the following Thursday night, however, the wood-cutter and his daughter both forget to commemorate Mushkil Gusha - and their lives take another dramatic and unexpected turn, changing forever...This timeless teaching-story has been recited on Thursday nights in the East for generations. Part of a rich body of literature from Central Asia and the Middle East, The Tale of Mushkil Gusha is one of many stories collected by the late Afghan author and thinker, Idries Shah.’These teaching-stories can be experienced on many levels. A child may simply enjoy hearing them, an adult may analyse them in a more sophisticated way. Both may eventually benefit from the lessons within. ’ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, NPR’Shah has collected hundreds of Sufi tales... In this tradition, the line between stories for children and those for adults is not as clear as it seems to be in Western cultures... the lessons are important for all generations. ’SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNALIf you’re looking for a beautifully illustrated children’s book, this story will delight you. A wonderful tale to engage your children whilst encouraging creative thinking.
