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Edward FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám. A famous poem and its influence

Edward FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám. A famous poem and its influence. Edited by William H. Martin and Sandra Mason. London; New York; Delhi, Anthem press, 2011. xi, 170 p. ISBN: 9780857287700.

Summary

The book presents the text of Edward FitzGerald’s three main versions of the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám in an easily accessible form, together with a non-technical commentary on the origins, role and influence of the poem. The reader is given a chance to evaluate each of FitzGerald’s alternative texts as a whole and to examine how the poet presented his texts to the public and annotated the verses. The commentary discusses the lives and work of Khayyám and FitzGerald, and recounts the fascinating story the publication of the Rubáiyát and its rise to great fame and popularity, including a look at the wide-ranging spin-offs the poem has generated in art, music and other fields. The editors use the latest research to analyze the poem’s worldwide influence during the 150 years since its first appearance and the continuing relevance of the poem in the world of the 21st century.

The Great ‘Umar Khayyám. A Global Reception of the Rubáiyát

The Great ‘Umar Khayyám. A Global Reception of the Rubáiyát. A.A. Seyed-Gohrab. Leiden, Leiden University Press, 2012. 267 p. (Iranian Studies Series). ISBN: 9789087281571.

Summary
The Rubáiyát by ‘Umar Khayyám (1048-1131) is used in contemporary Iran as a resistance literature, symbolizing the secularist voice in cultural debates. While Islamic fundamentalists criticize Khayyám as an atheist and materialist philosopher who questions God’s creation and the promise of reward or punishment in the hereafter, secularist intellectuals see in him an example of a scientist who scrutinizes the mysteries of the world. Others see a spiritual master, a Sufi, who guides people to the truth. This volume collects eighteen essays on the history of the reception of ‘Umar Khayyám in various literary traditions, exploring how his philosophy of doubt, carpe diem, hedonism, and in vino veritas has inspired generations of poets, novelists, painters, musicians, calligraphers and film-makers.
Contens

INTRODUCTION
Khayyám’s Universal Appeal: Man, Wine, and the Hereafter in the Quatrains. A.A. Seyed-Gohrab

KHAYYÁM IN PERSIA
Reading the Rubá’iyyát as “Resistance Literature”. M. Aminrazavi
Some ‘Umarian Quatrains from the Lifetime of ‘Umar Khayyám. A.H. Morton
Between Tavern and Madrasa: ‘Umar Khayyám the Scientist. M. Bagheri

KHAYYÁM IN THE ARAB WORLD AND TURKEY
The Arab ‘Umar Khayyám. M. Alsulami
Ahmad Rámí’s Arabic translation of the Quatrains of ‘Umar Khayyám. Jan Just Witkam
Quatrains of ‘Umar Khayyám in Turkish and Turkish Quatrains. S. Sötemann

KHAYYÁM IN THE NETHERLANDS
Other Persian Quatrains in Holland: the Roseraie du Savoir of Husayn-i Ázád. J.T.P. de Bruijn
Khayyám’s Impact on Modern Dutch Literature. M. Goud
Bitter Certainty: J.H. Leopold on ‘Umar Khayyám. J.D.F. van Halsema
How ‘Umar Khayyám Inspired Dutch Visual Artists. J. Biegstraaten
The Legacy of ‘Umar Khayyám in Music of the Netherlands. R. de Groot

THE RUSSIAN AND GEORGIAN RECEPTION OF KHAYYÁM
The Russian perception of Khayyám: from text to image. F. Abdullaeva, N. Chalisova, Ch. Melville
The Translation of ‘Umar Khayyám’s Poetry into Georgian – a Touchstone for Translators. T. Shurgaia

KHAYYÁM’S RECEPTION IN VICTORIAN ENGLAND
The Reception of FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát of ‘Umar Khayyám by the Victorians. E. Zare-Behtash

KHAYYÁM IN INDIA
Vernacularizing Rubaiyat: the Politics of Madhushala in the context of the Indian Nationalism. A. Castaing
Attempts at Locating the Rubáiyát in Indian Philosophical Thought. A. Rangarajan

INTERNATIONAL KHAYYÁM DATA-BASE
An ‘Umar Khayyám Database. J. Coumans

Edward FitzGerald and the Rediscovery of Omar Khayyám for Persian Nihilism

Edward FitzGerald and the Rediscovery of Omar Khayyám for Persian Nihilism
In: Persophilia : Persian Culture on the Global Scene. Hamid Dabashi. Cambridge (MA), Harvard University Press, [2015]. 297 pp. ISBN: 9780674495777.

Summary:
From antiquity to the Enlightenment, Persian culture has been integral to European history. Interest in all things Persian shaped not just Western views but the self-image of Iranians to the present day. Hamid Dabashi maps the changing geography of these connections, showing that traffic in ideas about Persia did not travel on a one-way street.

The influence of epicurean thought on the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

The influence of epicurean thought on the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Craig A. Leisy.
Manchester, Shires Press, 2015. xv, 265 pages ; 22 cm. ISBN: 978-1-60571-277-2.

Summary:
The freethinker philosophy of Omar Khayyam, as expressed in his verses, was out of step with his society in the medieval Islamic world. However, his thinking was consistent with that of other freethinkers in the Middle East and may be traced to materialists in ancient Greece such as Democritus (atomism), and Epicurus (341-271 BCE). This book explores evidence that the Persian poet Omar Khayyam, and other poets in the medieval Islamic world, were influenced by the freethinkers in ancient Greece, the source of the conflict between science and religion

Late night thoughts on reading Fitzgerald’s Omar Khayyam

Late night thoughts on reading Fitzgerald’s Omar Khayyam: my own reflections on a poem that has guided me well. Robert Gary. Independently published, 2017. 55 p. ISBN: 978-1520406756.

Summary:
This book is personal philosophical reflections on reading on Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, as translated by Edward Fitzgerald. Only some of the rubai are included, and the ones selected for including are taken from many different editions of the Fitzgerald translation based on the author’s own preference of which was the best. The French translations are his own amateur attempt to convey the basic meaning of a few rubai into modern French. The illustrations are Gary’s own gouache and watercolor paintings done in 1995.