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Key moments and achievements from Coleman Barks's life.
Coleman was born
· Athens, Georgia, United States
Education
Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Coleman Barks earned his BA from the University of North Carolina, an MA from UC Berkeley, and returned to UNC for his PhD, establishing the academic foundation for his literary career.
Education
Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Coleman Barks earned his BA from the University of North Carolina, an MA from UC Berkeley, and returned to UNC for his PhD, establishing the academic foundation for his literary career.
Achievement
In 1976, poet Robert Bly gave Barks translations of Rumi's poetry and encouraged him to create American free-verse versions, launching a lifelong project that would eventually sell over 500,000 copies and introduce millions to the 13th-century Sufi mystic.
Achievement
In 1976, poet Robert Bly gave Barks translations of Rumi's poetry and encouraged him to create American free-verse versions, launching a lifelong project that would eventually sell over 500,000 copies and introduce millions to the 13th-century Sufi mystic.
Achievement
In 1995, Barks published 'The Essential Rumi' in collaboration with Persian scholar John Moyne, creating the bestselling collection that would make Rumi the most-read poet in America and sell hundreds of thousands of copies worldwide.
Achievement
In 1995, Barks published 'The Essential Rumi' in collaboration with Persian scholar John Moyne, creating the bestselling collection that would make Rumi the most-read poet in America and sell hundreds of thousands of copies worldwide.
Achievement
Barks published 'The Illuminated Rumi' in 1997, a visually stunning illustrated edition of Rumi's poetry that further expanded the audience for the 13th-century Persian poet's works in the English-speaking world.
Achievement
Barks published 'The Illuminated Rumi' in 1997, a visually stunning illustrated edition of Rumi's poetry that further expanded the audience for the 13th-century Persian poet's works in the English-speaking world.
Achievement
Over his career, Barks published more than a dozen volumes of Rumi interpretations, along with several collections of his own poetry including 'Gourd Seed,' 'Tentmaking,' and 'Granddaughter Poems,' becoming America's foremost interpreter of Rumi.
Achievement
Over his career, Barks published more than a dozen volumes of Rumi interpretations, along with several collections of his own poetry including 'Gourd Seed,' 'Tentmaking,' and 'Granddaughter Poems,' becoming America's foremost interpreter of Rumi.
Coleman Barks joined the English faculty at the University of Georgia in Athens in 1967, after two years of teaching at the University of Southern California, and remained on the faculty until his retirement in 1997 — a thirty-year tenure that established him as a beloved presence in the department. It was during his years at UGA that he began the Rumi translation project for which he became world-renowned: working from existing English renderings rather than the original Persian, he produced more than a dozen volumes of Rumi's poetry, most notably 'The Essential Rumi' (1995) and 'The Illuminated Rumi' (1997), often in collaboration with Persian scholar John Moyne. After retirement he continued living in Athens, operating Maypop Books, and received an honorary doctorate from the University of Tehran in 2006 for his Rumi translations. He was inducted into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame in 2009 and died on February 23, 2026, at age 88.
Coleman Barks joined the English faculty at the University of Georgia in Athens in 1967, after two years of teaching at the University of Southern California, and remained on the faculty until his retirement in 1997 — a thirty-year tenure that established him as a beloved presence in the department. It was during his years at UGA that he began the Rumi translation project for which he became world-renowned: working from existing English renderings rather than the original Persian, he produced more than a dozen volumes of Rumi's poetry, most notably 'The Essential Rumi' (1995) and 'The Illuminated Rumi' (1997), often in collaboration with Persian scholar John Moyne. After retirement he continued living in Athens, operating Maypop Books, and received an honorary doctorate from the University of Tehran in 2006 for his Rumi translations. He was inducted into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame in 2009 and died on February 23, 2026, at age 88.
Coleman Barks passed away
