The Gardens of Light

About “The Gardens of Light”

This 1991 novel tells the story of Mani, a forgotten figure whose name remains widely known through the term "Manichaean." A painter, physician, and prophet from Mesopotamia in the 3rd century, Mani proposed a humanist worldview so bold that it was relentlessly persecuted by religions and empires. The book recounts his life as far as it can be reconstructed.