Burton, Richard Francis (1821-1890)

Elizabeth Taylor and her husband Richard Burton. They are shown in costume between scenes on the set of Becket, in 1964.

English explorer and translator (he knew 35 oriental languages). He travelled mainly in the Middle East and northeast Africa, often disguised as a Muslim. He made two attempts to find the source of the White Nile, in 1855 and 1857-58 (on the second, with John Speke, he reached Lake Tanganyika), and wrote many travel books. He translated oriental erotica and the Arabian Nights (1885-88).

After military service in India, Burton explored the Arabian peninsula and Somaliland. In 1853 he visited Mecca and Medina disguised as an Afghan pilgrim; he was then commissioned by the Foreign Office to explore the sources of the Nile. Later travels took him to North and South America. His translations include the Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana 1883 and The Perfumed Garden 1886. His wife, who had accompanied him on some journeys, burned his unpublished manuscripts and diaries after his death.