FitzGerald, Edward

Edward FitzGerald (1809–83) created one of the most popular translations in English literature, the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám (1859). His rendering of quatrains by the eleventh‐century Persian poet has inspired imitators, parodists, visual artists, and composers. FitzGerald's accounts of his methods have been important to scholars of translation theory and of historical translation practice. He translated many other texts, from languages including Spanish and Greek, and showed a lifelong interest in adapting the work of others. His undergraduate years at Cambridge University were important to his formation of literary friendships. He lived mainly in Suffolk.