{"product_id":"9781620406533","title":"Nearer the Heart's Desire : Poets of the Rubaiyat: A Dual Biography of Omar Khayyam and Edward FitzGerald","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eNearer the Heart's Desire\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Robert D. Richardson\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eWritten in Persian in the eleventh century, Omar Khayyam's quatrains, known as \u003ci\u003erubai\u003c\/i\u003e, were written individually for an audience at court, and explored the meanings of life, love, and friendship. They were almost completely unknown in the West until Edward FitzGerald--himself a relatively obscure critic--translated and organized some one hundred of them into a unified whole that he called \u003ci\u003eThe Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam\u003c\/i\u003e, which he published anonymously in 1859. Ignored initially, it soon became a sensation--and FitzGerald with it, his work now translated into seventy languages--and one of the most-read works of literature of all time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDeftly and eloquently recounting in turn the life stories of Khayyam and FitzGerald, linking them over the span of eight centuries, acclaimed biographer Robert Richardson has crafted the story of the legendary \u003ci\u003eRubaiyat\u003c\/i\u003e itself, illuminating a literary classic and reinforcing its place in the canon of great world literature.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"An artful analysis of the lives of two poets separated by centuries, geography, and culture, united by hope.\" —\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"This concise, stimulating, and fluent book is highly recommended.\" —\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"[A] graceful, sympathetic account.\" —\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"In Richardson, the philosopher has found a tireless champion and a perceptive editor. Richardson is that increasingly rare phenomenon among academics, an enthusiast, even a lover, of his subjects.\" —John Banville, New York Review of Books on THE HEART OF WILLIAM JAMES\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A splendidly written book . . . Richardson's critical discussions of the journals, 'Walden,' 'Cape Cod,' and the other works are invariably illuminating and cast a new light on Thoreau's sometimes cross-grained but fascinating personality.\" —\u003ci\u003eThe Boston Globe on HENRY THOREAU: A LIFE OF THE MIND\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"To read this book is to be touched on the shoulder by a thousand years of poetry and thought . . . For those who understand Emerson, this book is unforgettable; it is essential.\" —Mary Oliver on EMERSON: THE MIND ON FIRE\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A landmark study, certain to endure.\" —\u003ci\u003eBooklist on WILLIAM JAMES: IN THE MAELSTROM OF AMERICAN MODERNISM\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Richardson does a fine job of bringing the two poets to life for a modern audience for whom they are probably unfamiliar. \u003ci\u003eNearer the Heart's Desire\u003c\/i\u003e is ultimately a biography not of the poets but of their shared poetry.\" - \u003ci\u003eShelf Awareness\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"[An]elegant dual biography of Khayyam and his translator.\" - \u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9781620406533\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Bloomsbury USA","offers":[{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":40596094189774,"sku":"9781620406533","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/getimage_56f1a9e6-8714-4763-8088-6f9f812004c6.jpg?v=1637849153","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9781620406533","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}