Edward FitzGerald (poet)
An obscure Victorian gentleman who gave the English language one of its most enduring and sensuous poetic sequences, a translation that became a global phenomenon.
1809–1883 (age 74)·English poet and translator·Birthday: March 31
Biography
Edward FitzGerald lived a life of quiet, scholarly retirement in Suffolk, a world away from the literary bustle of London. A friend to figures like Tennyson and Carlyle, he was a man of independent means and eccentric habits, more interested in his garden, his sailing boat, and his books than in public acclaim. His lasting contribution was an act of creative transformation: his loose, lyrical translation of the quatrains attributed to the 12th-century Persian polymath Omar Khayyam. Published anonymously in 1859 and initially ignored, 'The Rubaiyat' was discovered by chance in a remainder bin by Dante Gabriel Rossetti and his circle. Its melancholic hedonism, its celebration of wine, love, and fleeting time, struck a profound chord with the Victorian era and beyond, making FitzGerald's version far more famous than any original English work he ever produced.
#1 When Edward Was Born
The biggest hits of 1809
Edward's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1809Born
1814Started school
1822Became a teenager
1825Could drive
1827Could vote
1830Turned 21
1839Turned 30
1849Turned 40
1859Turned 50
1869Turned 60
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1879Turned 70
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1883Died at 74
President: Chester A. Arthur
Key Achievements
- Published the first English translation of 'The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam' in 1859.
- Created a poetic work that achieved massive and enduring popularity, influencing countless artists and writers.
- His translation style was notably free and interpretative, prioritizing poetic spirit over literal accuracy.
Did You Know?
The first edition of his 'Rubaiyat' sold poorly and was placed in a penny box outside a London bookshop.
He was a close friend of the novelist William Makepeace Thackeray and the poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
FitzGerald lived most of his life as a reclusive country gentleman in Suffolk.
“The moving finger writes; and, having writ, moves on: nor all thy piety nor wit shall lure it back to cancel half a line, nor all thy tears wash out a word of it.”
