Richard Francis Burton

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Richard Francis Burton bigraphy, stories - English explorer, translator, orientalist

Richard Francis Burton : biography

19 March 1821 – 20 October 1890

Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton KCMG FRGS (19 March 1821 – 20 October 1890) was an English geographer, explorer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer and diplomat. He was known for his travels and explorations within Asia, Africa and the Americas, as well as his extraordinary knowledge of languages and cultures. According to one count, he spoke 29 European, Asian and African languages.Lovell (1998), p. xvii.

Burton’s best-known achievements include traveling in disguise to Mecca, an unexpurgated translation of One Thousand and One Nights (commonly called The Arabian Nights in English after early translations of Antoine Galland’s French version), bringing the Kama Sutra to publication in English, and journeying with John Hanning Speke as the first Europeans to visit the Great Lakes of Africa in search of the source of the Nile. Burton’s works and letters extensively criticized colonial policies of the British Empire, to the detriment of his career. He was a prolific and erudite author and wrote numerous books and scholarly articles about subjects including human behaviour, travel, falconry, fencing, sexual practices and ethnography. A characteristic feature of his books is the copious footnotes and appendices containing remarkable observations and information.

He was a captain in the army of the East India Company, serving in India (and later, briefly, in the Crimean War). Following this, he was engaged by the Royal Geographical Society to explore the east coast of Africa and led an expedition guided by the locals and was the first European to see Lake Tanganyika. In later life, he served as British consul in Fernando Po, Santos, Damascus and, finally, Trieste. He was a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and was awarded a knighthood (KCMG) in 1886.

Notes

1. Burton later expressed his own doubts about the death by writing "The calamity had been the more unexpected as he was ever remarkable for the caution with which he handled his weapons."Godsall, p. 255

Chronology

Timeline of Richard Francis Burton’s life (1821–1890)

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 mark:(line,white) at:1821 text:"1821: Born in Torquay, Devon, United Kingdom." at:1840 text:"1840: Enrolls in Trinity College, Oxford." at:1842 text:"1842: Expelled from Oxford and joins the army." at:1851 text:"1851: Meets Isabel Burton (then Isabel Arundell), his future wife. Publishes first book." at:1853 text:"1853: Travels to Meccah and Medina disguised as a pilgrim." at:1854 text:"1854: Meets John Hanning Speke." at:1855 text:"1855: Burton and Speke attacked and wounded while exploring Berbera." at:1856 text:"1856: Burton serves in the army in the Crimean War and becomes engaged to Isabel Arundell." at:1858 text:"1858: Burton and Speke explore the Central African lakes, locating Lake Tanganyika (Speke locates Lake Victoria)." at:1860 text:"1860: Travels to America, visiting Salt Lake City and California." at:1861 text:"1861: Marries Isabel Burton and becomes consul to Fernando Po (Bioko)." at:1865 text:"1865: Appointed consul to Santos." at:1869 text:"1869: Appointed consul to Damascus." at:1873 text:"1873: Appointed consul to Trieste." at:1883 text:"1883: Translates the Kama Sutra with Forster Fitzgerald Arbuthnot." at:1884 text:"1884: Translates The Arabian Nights." at:1886 text:"1886: Awarded KCMG (Knight Commander of St Michael and St George)." at:1890 text:"1890: Dies of a heart attack in Trieste on October 19 or 20."