by Ahmet Hilmi (Author)
Awakened Dreams was written in the early 1900s at the end of the Ottoman era by Ahmet Hilmi - humorist, revolutionary, and Sufi mystic. Raji - a man disillusioned with science, philosophy, and religion - meets a grandfather-like madman who lives in a cemetery and wears clothes patched with bits of mirrors. The Mirror Dede, though apparently mad, makes more sense than anyone Raji has ever met. From time to time they drink coffee together, and as the old man plays a reed flute, Raji's transformation is mirrored through a series of awakened dreams. He experiences changes in perception which show him the limitations of our ordinary human faculties, and he encounters various prophets and holy beings who reveal to him the secret of his own existence.
Author Biography
Ahmet Hilmi (1865-1914) was born in an area that is now Bulgaria. While still a young man, Himli met the Mirror Dede, a "cosmic doctor" who was living in a local cemetery. Mirror Dede provided inspiration for Hilmi's spiritual transformation. Hilmi went on to become a Sufi teacher and the author of many books.