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Reading the Rubá’iyyát as “resistance literature”

Reading the Rubá’iyyát as “resistance literature”. Mehdi Aminrazavi.
In: The great ‘Umar Khayyám. Leiden, Leiden University Press, 2012. pp. 39-53.

Aminrazavi argues that many of the Rubáiyát were written as a reaction to the rise of Islamic orthodoxy and the demise of the intellectual freedom which was so prevalent in the first four centuries of the Islamic history. He argues that once Khayyám’s Rubáiyát are placed within the historical context of his time, they will no longer appear to be the pessimistic existential bemoaning of a poet-philosopher like Schopenhauer. Rather, one can see the Rubáiyát as an intellectual critique of the rise of orthodox and legalistic Islam as represented by the faith-based theology of the Ash‘arite.

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.

FitzGerald or Fitz-Omar: Ideological Reconsideration of the English Translation of Khayyam’s Rubaiyat

FitzGerald or Fitz-Omar: Ideological Reconsideration of the English Translation of Khayyam’s Rubaiyat. Shilan Shafiei.
English Language and Literature Studies, 2 (2012) 1 (March), pp. 128-140.

The present study attempted to examine whether Edward Fitzgerald’s English translation of Khayyam’s Rubaiyat is effective in doing justice to the true philosophical/ideological image of Khayyam and his poems through investigating the extent of ideological manipulation applied by Fitzgerald in his translation, and through referring to the fundamental tenets of Post-colonialism. For this purpose, the content of all the quatrains in the first edition of the translation of Rubaiyat by Fitzgerald with their corresponding Persian equivalents, were analyzed.

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.

Quatrains of ‘Umar Khayyám in Turkish, and Turkish quatrains

Quatrains of ‘Umar Khayyám in Turkish, and Turkish quatrains. S. Sötemann.
In: The great ‘Umar Khayyám. Leiden, Leiden University Press, 2012. pp. 97-104

Sötemann explains that while Ottoman poets were deeply influenced by Persian poetry, they avoided composing quatrains, preferring other literary forms. Yahya Kemal Beyatlı (1884-1958) was an exception, as he tried to master all the forms and genres of Ottoman poetry. In his efforts, Beyatlı translated Khayyám and introduced his poetry to Turkish people.