Sir Richard Burton (1821-1890) was an English explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat. Burton is perhaps most famous for his extensive travels and explorations in Asia, Africa and the Americas, as well as his extraordinary knowledge of languages and cultures. As well as the KASÎDAH he also published an unexpurgated translation of One Thousand and One Nights; as well as the Kama Sutra in English.