Khayyam and Esperanto

A very rare book

I love old books. I could easily be blogging about my love of poking around used bookstores, sometimes coming home with piles of old things. I love old books. Every once in a while, you find something that’s a bit of a rarity, but the book that was described in the New York Times on July 17, 1909 was a true rarity: it was produced in an edition of twenty-copies. That’s all.

The book in question is an Esperanto translation of the Rubáiyat of Omar Khayyám based on the translation by Edward FitzGerald. My searching lead me to a bibliography of the Rubáiyat, which lists the first Esperanto translation as coming in 1915 (which was the product of John Pollen, the head of Esperanto Association of Britain). But Pollen’s 1915 translation of of Khayyám can’t the be subject of a 1909 bookstore ad. I mean, advance copies are one thing, but what bookstore can get a book six years before it’s printed?

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A Jewish Esperantist in Washington

Profits and Esperanto

First, I’d like to note that as in 2014, October 31, 1913 was also a Friday. For this story (which has nothing to do with Halloween, if you want shocks, look here), that’s an important point, because the even happened at a synagogue. It should surprise no one that the group had its meeting on a Thursday night, and not during synagogue services. This is one of those rare stories of Jews and Esperanto.

It’s somewhat ironic, but even with the actions of the Esperanto community decrying the blood libel trial of Menahem Beilis, this seems to have been motivated more by a sense of progress than by specific solidarity with Jews. Although Hitler infamously predicted that the Jews would force everyone to speak Esperanto, there doesn’t seem to be that much in the way of Jewish presence historically in Esperanto. While today there are Esperanto organizations linked to various religious groups, there is no group specifically for Jewish Esperantists.

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You can follow my blog on Twitter (@impofthediverse) or on Facebook. If you like this post, share it with your friends. If you have a comment just for me, e-mail me at impofthediverse@gmail.com.

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