Edward FitzGerald

H. D. Greaves

Of special note in this still youthful age of self-published books (digital ebooks as well as books 'Printed-on-Demand'), is the truly astonishing fact that the Rubáiyát was a self-published book, and not only self-published, but anonymously so by its translator, Edward FitzGerald!It was also a financial flop, with the unsold copies remaindered to the penny box in one small bookstore. Were it not for Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Algernon Charles Swinburne, two famous Victorian authors, happening quite by chance to see a pamphlet advertising second-hand books, and being curious about one titled Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám the Astronomer-Poet of Persia, Translated into English Verse (no translator named), the entire batch was destined to be reborn as waste paper.This CreateSpace/Kindle edition of the Rubáiyát, edited and with a Preface by H.D. Greaves, is unique in that it contains all the FitzGerald editions: the First, the Second, and the Fifth, as well as FitzGerald's extensive variations in his Third and Fourth Editions. You will also find here FitzGerald's Notes to the Second Edition, his Introduction to the Third Edition, his essay on Omar Khayyám, and a complete Glossary. Although FitzGerald's translation is not literal (he called it a "transmogrification" from the Persian), it is by far the greatest English language version of these extraordinary quatrains.This inexpensive CreateSpace paperback and its Kindle ebook companion contain no illustrations. As lovely-and as beloved-as many of those are, it may be wise to consider that Omar Khayyám's immortal words ultimately need no artist's palette. Our imagination and discernment are more than enough to give them life.

Translated Into English Verse By

Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

Mandrake Amoroso, inspired by Niccolò Machiavelli's La Mandragola, is the most recent and the most unusual version of that famous (some say infamous) Italian Renaissance comedy. Amoroso in the title differentiates it from all other adaptations while emphasizing that Machiavelli's story is, after all, about a love potion.Niccolò's play uses one setting, whereas Mandrake Amoroso scatters the action all over Florence, even with an opening scene in Paris. However, this does not mean productions need expend money on elaborate sets. The entire play can be performed on a bare stage, with doors and furniture brought on and removed by crew wearing either black or period costumes. Essential production notes are found at the end of the playscript.Perhaps the most singular difference between Niccolò's 1520 original and Mandrake Amoroso is the character of Lucrezia. Over five centuries, she has developed far more wit and intelligence than she possessed in the time of Machiavelli.Like Machiavelli's 1520 original, Mandrake Amoroso by H.D. Greaves in our twenty-first century is bawdy, irreverent and profane. Above all, it is, as it has always been, outrageously funny.

An Italian Renaissance Comedy Inspired by Niccolò Machiavelli's La Mandragola

Mandrake Amoroso

Add a conniving servant and his amoral master; a murderous priest and his equally homicidal sidekick; a beautiful but barren wife wed to an ancient attorney; and a potion brewed from Mandragora, a plant alleged to help women conceive, and you have a prescription for pandemonium, especially when Mandragora (known in less reputable circles as “God's Little Joke”), possesses a Fatal Flaw.Filled with bawdy and irreverent wit, outrageous situations, characters it would be grossly unwise to invite for dinner, and lots of good old-fashioned belly laughs, this literate and sophisticated satire is a joy to read from start to satisfying—and most surprising—finale.Based on The Mandrake, notorious Niccolò Machiavelli's Italian Renaissance comedy, Mandragora is the only novel ever created—even after five centuries!—from his infamous play.

H. D. Greaves

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