This is the first full-length study to explore how contemporary, Western manifestations of Sufism are represented in fictional texts and examines how Sufi principles and ideas are deeply embedded in the literary production of selected writers. Offering an overview of the historical development of Western Sufism, this study outlines its distinctive approach to mystical experience in addition to engaging with important aspects of its general philosophical tenets. As well as presenting up-to-date information relating to the major figures of Western Sufism, such as G. I. Gurdjieff and Idris Shah, each of the main chapters deals with a specific contemporary literary figure – Doris Lessing, Elif Shafak, Leila Aboulela and Nigel Watts – in order to show the pervasive influence of Sufism on their work.

Billy Gray is Associate Professor of English at Dalarna University, Sweden. He has published widely on writers such as Doris Lessing, Hubert Butler, Chris Arthur, Patrick McCabe, Eoin McNamee, Derek Lundy, J. M. Coetzee and Jenny Diski, Elif Shafak and Leila Aboulela, amongst others.