The Man Behind the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam ─ The Life and Letters of Edward FitzGerald

Edward FitzGerald's translation of The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam is one of the best known poems in the English language. Its lines and verses have become part of the western literary canon and his translation of this most famous of poems has been continuously in print in for almost a century and a half. But just who was Edward FitzGerald? Was he the eccentric recluse that most scholars would have us believe? Is there more to the man than just his famous translation? In The Man Behind the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam William Martin and Sandra Martin go beyond the standard view. Drawing on their unique analysis of the more than 2,000 surviving letters of FitzGerald, together with evidence from his scrapbooks, commonplace books and materials from his personal library, they reveal a more convivial yet complex personality than we have been led to suppose.

Bill Martin and Sandra Mason maintain a longstanding interest in the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, and have a substantial library of the different editions and associated materials. They have been actively involved in creating exhibitions and other projects related to FitzGerald and the Rubaiyat. They are the authors of a number of books, including The Art of Omar Khayyam: Illustrating FitzGerald's Rubaiyat (I. B. Tauris, 2007) and Edward FitzGerald's Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (2011).Bill Martin and Sandra Mason maintain a longstanding interest in the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, and have a substantial library of the different editions and associated materials. They have been actively involved in creating exhibitions and other projects related to FitzGerald and the Rubaiyat. They are the authors of a number of books, including The Art of Omar Khayyam: Illustrating FitzGerald's Rubaiyat (I. B. Tauris, 2007) and Edward FitzGerald's Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (2011).