Edward FitzGerald

Edward FitzGerald (1809-1883), English poet and translator, born near Woodbridge, Suffolk, and educated at the University of Cambridge. FitzGerald is best known for his translation (published anonymously in 1859) of the Rubáiyát by the Persian poet Omar Khayyam. The translation, which involved reworking the original poem into rhymed verse, at first failed to sell. The English poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti discovered it, however, and as a result of his enthusiasm a second edition appeared in 1868. The poem achieved a popularity unmatched by any other translation of secular Asian poetry into English. FitzGerald is also known for his English versions of classical Greek drama.