The tragic romance of Layla and Majnun was one of the greatest hits of pre-modern literature. Long before Romeo and Juliet, audiences thrilled to myriad versions of the tale in Arabic, Persian, and other Central Asian languages, and artists lovingly illustrated it. This panel of experts discusses its long and fascinating history.

Cameron Cross (Near Eastern Studies) on the Persian epic that made the doomed lovers famous, Christiane Gruber (Art History) on the lavish manuscript paintings of their tragic tale, and Aida Huseynova (Music, Indiana University) on bringing their romance to life on the stage.

This event is in conjunction with Layla and Majnun performances October 13-15.