How Eastern thinking influenced Western culture

The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám (1859) has been continually republished and a bestseller worldwide. Sandra Mason will trace the poem’s origins and the key people who made it so influential, and explore the 400 different copies of the Rubáiyát, with related material, which she and her late husband, Bill Martin, collected and recently donated to the Ancient India & Iran Trust.

In 1859, a slim volume in a brown paper wrapper appeared in a London bookshop. It attracted little interest then, but the book went on to become a bestseller worldwide. It has been republished continually up to the present day, and has also been the basis for much artistic endeavour, including paintings and illustrations, songs and oratorios, ceramics and metalworks. Additionally, it has infiltrated into popular culture in the form of quotations and advertising.

This book was entitled the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, and it contained a long poem of 75 verses, inspired by manuscripts of poetry from medieval Persia. In this talk, we will trace the origins of this famous poem, and tell the fascinating stories of the key people who combined to make it so influential.

We’ll also explore the collection of some 400 different copies of the Rubáiyát, together with related material, which has recently found a home in the library of the Ancient India and Iran Trust. The collection contains many finely bound and illustrated copies of the poem, which will be highlighted in the talk.

Sandra Mason is an independent researcher with a long-term interest in the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám. She and her late husband, W H (Bill) Martin, put together the collection that is now at the Trust, and also researched and published widely about the history and influence of the poem. Sandra is also the founder and webmaster of the OmarKhayyamRubaiyat blog.

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