Loved by the free-spirited, hated by his orthdox peers; a stranger both in his homeland and in the West: the complexities and contradictions surrounding the life of Omar Khayyam are reconstructed for the first time in this authoritative new book.
Engagingly written, this comprehensive study draws on a host of sources, placing Khayyam within the context of his own time, and exploring, through both the philosophy and the poetry, his lifelong preoccupation with such timeless themes as life and death, faith and reason, freewill and fate. Aminrazavi offers fresh insights, not only into the Rubaβiyyat, but also into Khayyamβs lasting influence on Western literature from Mark Twain to T. S. Eliot, and his role in the creation of the Orientalist tradition.
With original renderings of Khayyamβs key philosophical works, and a full version of FitzGeraldβs famous translation, this new biography will prove fascinating for general readers, while scholars and students will find this significant new contribution to the field of Persian Studies essential reading.
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