Saadi Shīrāzī better known by his pen name Saadi (/ˈsɑːdi/; Persian: سعدی, romanized: Saʿdī, IPA: [sæʔˈdiː]), also known as Sadi of Shiraz (سعدی شیرازی, Saʿdī Shīrāzī; born 1210; died 1291 or 1292), was a Persian poet and prose writer of the medieval period. He is recognized for the quality of his writings and for the depth of his social and moral thoughts.
Saadi is widely recognized as one of the greatest poets of the classical literary tradition, earning him the nickname “The Master of Speech” or “The Wordsmith” (استاد سخن ostâd-e soxan) or simply “Master” (استاد ostâd) among Persian scholars. He has been quoted in the Western traditions as well. His book, Bustan has been ranked as one of the 100 greatest books of all time by The Guardian.
Saadi Shirazi’s birth date is uncertain; most scholars consider him to have been born in 1209 or 1210.He was from the city of Shiraz, the provincial capital of the Fars province. Since 1148, the province been under the rule of the Salghurids, a Persianate dynasty of Turkoman origin.
