Noor-un-nisa Inayat Khan: Madeleine, George Cross MBE, Croix de Guerre with Gold Star : Madeleine: George Cross MBE, Croix de Guerre with Gold Star

by Jean Overton Fuller

Noor-un-nisa Inayat Khan was a gentle girl, the great-great-great grand-daughter of the Tiger of Mysore, and the daughter of the Sufi teacher Inayat Khan, who founded the Sufi movement and Sufi Order in the West. When war broke out, in 1939, she was already achieving her first successes, As a harpist she had been heard at the Salle Erard. Her stories were appearing on the children's page of 'Le Figaro' and broadcast on Radiodiffusion Francaise, her 'Twenty Jataka Tales' being brought out by a London publisher; she was just founding a children's newspaper. Later she was betrayed to the Sicherheitsdienst and as a prisoner of importance was held at their HQ on the Avenue Foch. After a daring attempt to escape, via the roof, she refused to give parole and was sent to Germany, where she was kept for most of the time in chains, before being shot at Dachau. She was posthumously awarded the George Cross and the Crois de Guerre.

Genres: Biography, World War II

430 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1988

Reviews

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was an amazing read,. I have to admit I had never heard of Noor, and I was given the book by chance, but once I started it I couldn't put it down. such a heroine was Noor, and what a sad end to her life. But like all others who operated as part of SOE etc in WW2, they must always have realised the risks. I think that today, it is hard to imagine what all the SOE operatives went through and the risks they took every time they went on a mission, or every time they transmitted a report. they were , ultimately, prepared to sacrifice their lives.

[alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

in the most unexpected way, this is already a contender for one of my favorite reads of the year. i found out ab noor-un-nisa inayat khan after seeing an exhibit dedicated to her memory in the dc spy museum and initially only paid attention bc her first name is the same name as one of my dnd party members and her codename is the name of my gf. felt like kismet. upon hearing the barest details of her story, i was curious and had to get my hands on this biography, which was written by a close personal friend of hers. i am lucky to have found the rereleased version, which adds details provided by those who were so touched by her presence, that when informed about this biography’s publication, felt moved to contribute. and i don’t just mean old classmates or neighbors or whatever. i mean SS officers who were charged with imprisoning and interrogating her, but found themselves so taken with her they had to make it known.

so naturally, this book paints an incredibly thorough, nuanced picture of a genuinely good person. it doesn’t shy away from including her flaws, which only serve to make her sacrifice all the more painful, particularly because you know it’s coming. in the end, noor was a ferociously loyal and impossibly brave individual. but at the same time, she was always just a girl trying her very best.

may we all strive to be as optimistic, empathetic and courageous as noor. and may we all strive to understand the people we love as well as jean overton fuller.

[Yasmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but a very detailed and remarkable biography of a remarkable woman.

[Allyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a tragic story but beautifully written.
I read her two subsequent books first but am glad as this is a fitting follow-up despite it being her first book.

[Amicus (David Barnett) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Noor Inayat Khan was the daughter of a Sufi teacher and was born in Moscow in 1914. Her mother was an American and the family spent most of Noor's childhood in Paris where her father collected a band of followers.

This book is in many ways unbearably sad. The heroine was a gentle and shy person and in no way a believer in war, yet she was so horrified by what the Nazis were doing that, once France had been occupied, she wanted to play her part in defeating them.

After service as a red Cross auxiliary she joined the WAAF and trained as a wireless operator. Her fluency in French brought her to the notice of Britain's SOE and she was asked if she were interested in serving in France. Despite the immense danger she knew she would face she immediately volunteered.

She arrived in France at a disastrous time for the Prosper network to which she had been assigned and was soon the only radio operator active in Paris. Despite being advised that she should return to England she insisted on staying. Three months later she was betrayed and a year after this was shot with three other women agents.

The authoress was a personal friend of the Inayat family and, after the war, set out to find out exactly how her tragic young friend had died.

Although terribly sad to see how such a remarkable life was cut so short the book is a reminder of just how much nobility human beings can exhibit.

[Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book by Jean Overton Fuller, a close friend of Noor. This book made me cry a lot, purely because you could feel Noor's lovely spirit and personality so strongly through Jean's words and her vivid portrayal of Noor through her upbringing, work with the SOE and subsequent murder was truly painful to read.

Jean's meeting with Ernest Vogt, Noor's interrogator whilst she was imprisoned at Avenue Foch, really stuck with me. After they discussed Noor's life and family, 'he became more and more amazed and sad. "I suppose she is the best human being I have met in my life" he said.'

Noor's exceptional bravery in her resistance to fascism and her beautiful soul will never be forgotten.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an amazing life. Noor is at the top of my "dinner party guest, living or dead" list.