My edition was published in approximately 1935, by the now-defunct Thomas Y Crowell Company in New York. Like most editions, it is titled as Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, written in a font that seems reminiscent of Arabic lettering, presumably for the intent of making the book seem more “authentic” and “exotic”. In total, this book is 96 pages long, and contains two separate translations of the original Rubáiyát, the first and the fourth editions of Edward Fitzgerald’s translations.
This book has both color-and-black and white illustrations, with the colored...
In Barbara Black’s work, On Exhibit: Victorians and Their Museums, she argues that the beautification of the Rubáiyát is directly related to its status as a piece of culturally appropriated literature. She argues that, through his translations, FitzGerald softened the appearance of the poem, commodified it, and made it seem less daunting, less other, through the use of his editing and changes. Through his translations and the commodification of the book, Black argues that Victorian and, in this context, 1930s-era publishers and readers have removed it from its original...
For this close reading, I have selected a related stanza and piece of artwork from my edition. These two elements contribute to the poem’s message about enjoyment and value of the physical world, through its beautiful portrayal of nature, vibrant colors, and depiction of what appears to be a romantic moment between a couple.
On page 55 of this 1935 edition of the Rubáiyát, one can read a translation of stanza 12 of the poem (see fig. 1), which reads, “A Book of Verses underneath the Bough,//A Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread—and Thou//Beside me singing in the...
This Rubáiyát edition comes from somewhere around1935, though the exact date of its publication is unclear. It was made and published by the now-defunct Thomas Y. Crowell publishing company, which was founded in 1834 by Benjamin Bradley. This publisher had many fields, but was focused primarily on fiction, was based in New York, and was the publisher of many children’s books. It published numerous books over its lifespan, then was purchased by another publisher, called Harper & Row, before eventually shutting down in 1980 when it was consolidated into Harper & Row. Said...
