Persian poet Nizami's brilliant biography of Alexander the Great, Sikandar Nama, e bara.Peter Avery/John Heath-Stubbs Other books of interest under review:.Other translations of the Rubáiyát under review: University of Virginia Press publicity page.It may not be as attractive as some of the other editions, but is certainly the most comprehensive. We would have preferred more background information (and especially an evaluation of the many, many editions of the Rubáiyát that have been published over the past century), but this served our purposes quite well.Īny fan of the Rubáiyát should want access to this collection. We found this edition eminently useful, an exemplary textual presentation.
More importantly, all four editions are included in their entirety, first individually and then, in an appendix, by quatrain, allowing for comparison between the texts.Ī table with the sequence of the quatrains is also provided, as is a pronunciation guide, and a small glossary.Īn added bonus, though perhaps only of interest to a few devotees, is the inclusion of FitzGerald's Latin translation of the Rubáiyát. In this Critical Edition a useful introduction by Decker provides a decent background for the work.
It is for this reason we review (and recommend) the Critical Edition, edited by Christopher Decker. Modern editions are often a pieced together from these by modern editors, not always to best advantage. (For a somewhat more faithful rendering see our review of the Avery/Heath-Stubbs version.)Īnother important note is that FitzGerald worked on these translations over several decades, publishing four quite different editions. There is little need to criticize or comment on FitzGerald's accomplishment itself, as the poems are among the best known in the English language.Ī few points are to be noted, however, first and foremost that FitzGerald's version is not eminently true to Khayyam's original. Great poetry it is indeed, simple quatrains where East seems to meet West in a conjoining of Eastern mysticism and poetry and nineteenth century Western language and expression. Comparative Texts of all of FitzGerald's translations (very useful !)Ī : not necessarily true to the original, but an English classicĮdward FitzGerald's famous translation of the Rubáiyát is a complex beast.Critical Texts of all four editions of FitzGerald's English translations.Note that this review refers specifically to the Critical Edition, edited by Christopher Decker.General information | our review | links | about the author | about the translator Trying to meet all your book preview and review needs. Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám - Omar Khayyam (Edward FitzGerald)
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