Its lines and verses have become part of the western literary canon and his translation of this most famous of poems has been continuously in print in for almost a century and a half. But just who was Edward FitzGerald? Was he the eccentric recluse that most scholars would have us believe? Is there more to the man than just his famous translation? In The Man Behind the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam William Martin and Sandra Martin go beyond the standard view. Drawing on their unique analysis of the more than 2,000 surviving letters of FitzGerald, together with evidence from his scrapbooks, commonplace books and materials from his personal library, they reveal a more convivial yet complex personality than we have been led to suppose."

Table of Contents:
Contents Introduction – The Man behind the Rubáiyát Acknowledgements A brief chronology of the life of Edward FitzGerald Note on the quotations from the letters List of illustrations Part 1 Learning about FitzGerald from his own words - the relationships and events that shaped his life 1. Edward FitzGerald, a man of letters 2. 1809-29 – FitzGerald’s early years 3. 1830-40 – A young man on the move 4. 1841-55 – Finding his feet as a writer 5. 1856-59 – Creating the Rubáiyát despite personal crises 6. 1860-71 – New interests in East Anglian life 7. 1872-83 – Renewal of literary pursuits and contacts 8. A new appreciation of Edward FitzGerald Part 2 Insights into Victorian life and opinions - as portrayed by FitzGerald in his letters 9. A window on the world of the 19th century 10. Writing and reading FitzGerald’s own writings Contemporary poetry Contemporary novels Other contemporary writing Greek and Latin classics Shakespeare Other English classics French, Italian and German literature Spanish literature Persian literature and other oriental works Writings by FitzGerald’s friends Miscellaneous writings 11. The arts Theatre Music Pictures and artworks 12. Family and friends FitzGerald family School friends University friends Neighbours Literary friends Artistic friends Other friends and acquaintances 13. Other interests and views Current affairs Religion Travel Leisure activities Nature and countryside Food and drink Personal matters Part 3 Background information and additional analyses Appendix 1 – The people whom FitzGerald knew Appendix 2 – The places where FitzGerald lived and stayed Appendix 3 – FitzGerald’s library and literary remains Appendix 4 – A statistical analysis of FitzGerald’s letters Bibliography Notes and references Index