Archives

The Arab ‘Umar Khayyám

The Arab ‘Umar Khayyám. M. Alsulami.
In: The great ‘Umar Khayyám. Leiden, Leiden University Press, 2012. pp. 73-84.

After their counterparts in the West had started collecting and translating the Rubáiyát of Khayyám during the nineteenth century, Arab intellectuals followed suit. A huge number of Arabic translations of Khayyám’s quatrains, and studies of his life, philosophy and literary works, were produced, and the broader interaction between Arabic and Persian literature was revived. In this chapter Alsulami focusses on translations from European languages, direct poetic translations from the Persian language and translations into Arabic dialects. He concludes with a brief discussion on Arab intellectuals’ reception of Khayyám.

The Russian perception of Khayyam: from text to image

The Russian perception of Khayyam: from text to image. F. Abdullaeva, N. Chalisova, N., Ch. Melville.
In: The great ‘Umar Khayyám. Leiden, Leiden University Press, 2012. pp. 161–188.

The authors show the extreme popularity of Khayyám in Russia, even before Fitzgerald’s translations were published. The English translation only added to Khayyám’s popularity. The authors investigate how different translations of a single quatrain were made and how a large number of illustrated translations usually erotic, were made based on these translations. They also examine the contemporary popularity of Khayyám and the ready availability of editions of his quatrains, from large bookstores to tiny book-stalls. The authors examine different translations in each generation and how these translations helped to popularize Khayyám. Attention is also paid to literary forgery and how it acquires national value and prestige: D. Serebryakov “claimed Omar Khayyám for the nation” in 2000 by stating that Khayyám’s native town was in Tataria.

The translation of ‘Umar Khayyám’s poetry into Georgian – a touchstone of translators

The translation of ‘Umar Khayyám’s poetry into Georgian – a touchstone of translators. T. Shurgaia.
In: The great ‘Umar Khayyám. Leiden, Leiden University Press, 2012. pp. 189-201.

Shurgaia draws attention to the translation history of the quatrains into Georgian. Georgian historian of Persian literature, Justine Abuladze published the first literal translation of Khayyám’s poetry in 1924, and this translation was followed by a series of translations up to the 21st century.

The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam: Persia’s Poet-Scientist

The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam: Persia’s Poet-Scientist. Rasoul Sorkhabi.
The World and I (2012) 1 (January)

December 4, 2011 marked the 880th anniversary of the death of one of the best known Oriental poets in the world: Omar Khayyam. Immortalized by its translation into English verse by Edward FitzGerald, “The Rubâiyât of Omar Khayyam,” has created a huge following in the West. Initially overlooked, the subsequent successes of FitzGerald’s and other translations can be said to have introduced new aspects to our understanding of poetry.

Singing the quatrains. Omar Khayyám and Umm Kulthúm

Singing the quatrains. Omar Khayyám and Umm Kulthúm. Jan Just Witkam.
In: The great ‘Umar Khayyám. Leiden, Leiden University Press, 2012. pp. 85-95.

Witkam examines in this chapter the translations of the Egyptian poet Ahmad Muhammad Rámí (1892-1981) and how his translations were sung by the famous singers Umm Kulthum (c. 1904-1975) and Muhammad ‘Abd al-Vahháb (1907-1991)

The illustration of FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát and its contribution to enduring popularity

The illustration of FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát and its contribution to enduring popularity. W.H. Martin, S. Mason.
In: FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám. Popularity and neglect. Ed. by A. Poole et al. London, Anthem Press, 2011. pp. 233-248.

In this paper, the authors aim to shed more light on how it is that Edward FitzGerald’s short poem became one of the most widely illustrated books of all time. They consider the social and economic framework within which publication of FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát reached its zenith and the critical role played by technical change in this important period. They examine in more detail the role of certain key actors, notably individual publishers and their illustrators, in the process of Rubáiyát publishing. And, by looking at the longer term evolution of Rubáiyát publishing through the twentieth century, they try to reach a clearer view of the importance of illustration to the enduring popularity of the poem.

The vogue of the English Rubáiyát and dedicatory poems in honour of Khayyám and FitzGerald

The vogue of the English Rubáiyát and dedicatory poems in honour of Khayyám and FitzGerald. P. Loloi.
In: FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám. Popularity and neglect. Ed. by A. Poole et al. London, Anthem Press, 2011. pp. 213-231.

Since the publication of Swinburne’s ‘Laus Veneris’ in 1866, there have been thousands of poems whose existence would have been impossible without the example of FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát. For convenience of discussion (and, of course, only a small proportion of this material can be examined), these poetic materials are considered under three headings: parodies, imitations and dedicatory poems.