Mehdi Aminrazavi The Wine of Wisdom

Annotation

The Ruba'iyyat of Omar Khayyam, famously translated into English by Fitzgerald at the turn of the twentieth century, is renowned throughout the world; very little, however, is known of its author. Representative of the exotic and erotic Eats, enemy of Christianity, prophet of hedonism, champion of free thinkers, Omar Khayyam and his Ruba'iyyat have been the stuff of legend for centuries. In this comprehensive biography, Aminrazavi blends and inviting narrative with scholarly research. Covering not only Khayyam's well-known poetry, but also his extraordinary life, his neglected philosophical writings and the impact of his work in the West, it features a variety of supporting material, including original translations and the full text of Fitzgerald's Rubaiyyat. It will prove an ideal introduction for those who want to know more about the life and achievements of this influential thinker. Loved by the free-spirited, hated by his orthodox 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.