The Life, Poetry and Philosophy of Omar Khayyam

Referred by Edward Fitzgerald as 'the Astronomer-Poet of Persia," Omar Khayyam's contributions as a poet, philosopher, mathematician and astronomer have been of significant value in furthering the frontiers of human knowledge.

Using his book The Wine of Wisdom: The Life, Poetry, and Philosophy of Omar Khayyam (2007), Dr. Mehdi Aminrazavi will offer a fresh interpretation of Khayyam's persona. By reading, interpreting, and contextualizing both the rub??iy??t (meaning "quatrains") and Khayyam's recently published philosophical works, Aminrazavi places Khayyam within the context of his own time and explores through his lifelong preoccupation with such timeless themes as life and death, faith and reason, freewill and fate that makes the rub??iy??t relevant for the modern reader.

Mehdi Aminrazavi is a professor of Philosophy and Religion and the Director of the Center for Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Maryland Washington. His areas of specialization are medieval Islamic philosophy and theology, philosophy of religion, and non-Western philosophical and religious thought.

Aminrazavi has published 10 books and numerous articles including the five volumes of An Anthology of Philosophy in Persia, Suhrawardi and the School of Illumination, and The Wine of Wisdom: The Life, Poetry, and Philosophy of Omar Khayyam.

Persian pastries will be served at the discussion.

This event is co-hosted with Washington Friends of The International Society for Iranian Studies.