In the Shadow of Islam

by Isabelle Eberhardt, Sharon Bangert (Translation)

In the Shadow of Islam is an extraordinary evocation of the desert and its people by a woman who dressed as a man in order to travel alone and unimpeded throughout North Africa. In 1897 Isabelle Eberhardt, age 20, left an already unconventional life in Geneva for the Morroccan frontier. Gripped by spiritual restlessness and the desire to break free from the confinements of her society she traveled into the desert, and into the heart of Islam. Her experiences inspired a profound self-examination, and In the Shadow of Islam is today regarded as one of the true classics of travel writing.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Islam, History, Religion, Memoir, Africa

220 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1906

About the author

Isabelle Eberhardt was a Swiss-Algerian explorer and writer who lived and travelled extensively in North Africa. For the time she was an extremely liberated individual who rejected conventional European morality in favour of her own path and that of Islam. Dressed as a man, calling herself Si Mahmoud Essadi, Eberhardt travelled in Arab society, with a freedom she could not otherwise have experienced. She died in a flash flood in the desert at the age of 27.

Reviews

[BrokenTune · Rating 4 out of 5]

Combined review of both In the Shadow of Islam and The Oblivion Seekers.

In the Shadow of Islam & The Oblivion Seekers are both collections of writing by another lady travel writer that I have encountered - Isabelle Eberhard.

Never heard of her? I had not either, but a quick look at her biography ensures that I will look at a more in-depth biography about her.

"ISABELLE EBERHARDT (1877–1904) was born in Geneva, the illegitimate daughter of a former Russian Orthodox priest and a part-Russian, part-German aristocratic mother. Her father was an anarchist and nihilist who was to convert to Islam, and his daughter’s life was to take similar dramatic turns before her tragically early death at the age of twenty-seven. Increasingly isolated from her family and her inheritance, she was plagued by emotional and financial problems, but she had a fierce will. From an early age she dressed as a man for the greater freedom this allowed, and she developed a literary talent and a gift for languages, including Arabic. Like her father Eberhardt became drawn to Islam. She converted while in Algeria with her mother. After her mother’s death she cut all ties with her family, called herself Si Mahmoud Essadi and travelled throughout North Africa. She became involved with Qadiriyya Sufi order, married an Algerian soldier, worked as a war reporter, helped the poor and needy and fought against the injustices of French colonial rule. She was also the victim of an assassination attempt but later successfully pleaded for the life of the man who attacked her. She openly rejected conventional European morality of the time, preferring to choose her own path, and drank alcohol, smoked marijuana and had numerous affairs. She died in a flash flood in Aïn Séfra, Algeria, in 1904."

Eberhardt, Isabelle. In The Shadow of Islam (Modern Classics) (Kindle Locations 25-32). Peter Owen Publishers. Kindle Edition.

In both collections, In the Shadow of Islam & The Oblivion Seekers, Eberhardt describes life in norther Africa, Algeria to be precise, from the point of someone actually living with the people at around 1900. She doesn't cling to any European perspectives she may hold and gives a voice to the people she encounters, their believes, their customs, their reasoning. She describes tribal rivalries, domestic issues, love, slavery, hardship, wealth - all of which seems to have its place in her settings. The stories are not connected and aren't really stories either. Rather they are vignettes of observations or conversations mixed with stories.

Because Eberhardt does not give the account from the perspective of a European traveller, but of someone who is searching for her own self, she does not judge. or at least, she pretends not to judge.

The stories truly are interesting. However, her writing is - lyrical as it is - does at times come across as too stylised to be a true account of her observations. Some poetic licence was no doubt at play.

When looking at both collections separately, In the Shadow of Islam is a better book. It contains one or two stories that are also in The Oblivion Seekers but I found the translation of the stories in In the Shadow of Islam to have a much better flow.

In a way this is surprising because The Oblivion Seekers has gathered more praise on account of the translation by Paul Bowles, which in my opinion is not warranted. I found Bowles translation hard to read.

In the Shadow of Islam - 3.5*
The Oblivion Seekers - 2.5*

[Yann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ce livre a une histoire un peu particulière, dans le sens où il s'agit de feuillets récupérés par miracle suite à la mort de l'auteur dans une inondation, protégés dans les restes de sa maison. L'édition a été faite par Victor Barrucand, lequel aurait semble-t-il un peu remanié ces textes: ce sont donc plus une collation de réflexions extraites d'un journal qu'un récit suivi, et leur authenticité est un peu suspecte.

J'avais découvert l'existence de Isabelle Erberhardt(1877-1904) dans France Et Algérie: Journal D'une Passion de Jacques Marseilles. Elle était présentée avec beaucoup de sympathie, comme quelqu'un ayant vécu avec les tribus nomades du Sahara, passionnée par l'Islam et désireuse de découvrir de nouvelles culture. Dans une certaine mesure, c'est bien le cas: on a un tableau réaliste par quelqu'un qui vit sur place des événements. Malheureusement, ces bonnes dispositions sont très rapidement gâtées.

Il s'avère que loin de vouloir découvrir quelque chose de nouveau et de réel, Isabelle Eberehardt est surtout à la recherche de ses propres rêves et reste prisonnière de ses préjugés, ne songeant qu'à s'étourdir d'orgueil et de solitude. Elle manque totalement d'empathie: comme elle est fière d'avoir un jeune esclave noir, dont elle ne manque pas de fustiger la gourmandise et la roublardise, et quel enthousiasme lui inspire le lamentable suicide d'une jeune épouse désespérée! On dirait ces voyageuses dont parlait Françoise Lapeyre dans son Quand Les Voyageuses Découvraient L'esclavage. Elle n'a à la bouche que le mot race, et tous les poncifs les plus éculés et les plus écœurants. Elle semble totalement absorbée dans ses rêveries orientalistes.

Ainsi, aucun des êtres humains qu'elle côtoie ne semble lui inspirer la moindre commisération: les noirs valent à peine mieux que des animaux, les femmes comptent pour rien, les juifs sont accablés de mépris, et les tribus voisines sont des mécréantes pires que les chrétiens, et la vulgarité des gens autour d'elle ne la dérange pas trop. Elle adopte tous les préjugés autour d'elle sans aucune distance, et ajoute les siens propres, si bien qu'elle ne tarde pas à se sentir comme une petite reine supérieure au milieu de ses hôtes simples et rustiques. Elle n'oublie pas bien sûr de bien dauber sur la vie qu'elle a quitté, sur son sexe et sur l'autre, sur l'amour, sur tout. En fait, elle n'aime pas grand chose en dehors de sa petite personne et de ses petites exaltations mystiques et esthétiques. A imiter les vie des anachorètes, elle en adopte bientôt l'esprit.

Sans doute que ce témoignage pourra encore grossir l'étude de l'histoire des mentalités. J'ai regretté l'indigence de l'appareil critique qui aurait pu donner plus d'explications concernant les termes vernaculaires employés. Il y a une partie de l’œuvre qui est fascinante et passionnante car authentique. Mais la mentalité de l'auteur était éreintante. On est plutôt soulagé d'en voir la fin.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

"To travel is not to think, but to see things in succession, with one's life sensed in the measure of space. The monotony of landscapes slowly unrolling soothes our cares and infuses us with light and quiet... A calm and vital state of mind rules, which once belonged to all human races and is still preserved among us in the blood of the nomads."
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From IN THE SHADOW OF ISLAM by Isabelle Eberhardt, translated from the French (Swiss) by Sharon Bangert | 1904 original notes, 1906 published in French, 1994 English edition Peter Owens Publishers
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Eberhardt's writing, travelogue and philosophical observations, the people, and the landscapes of French colonial North Africa, is deeply rooted to her own biography. A Swiss-Russian convert to Islam, she moved to Morocco with her mother as a teen. Immersing herself in the North African culture, she was fluent in Arabic and dialects, dressed as a man, and adopted the name Si Mahmoud Saadi. Her appearance gave her access to many conversations, even in to the mosques with the male travelers and friends. Apparently many people knew her identity, but did not bar her access.

Her writing has a mystical quality, relating to her own Sufi belief structure. Vignette style, she observes life on the road, the souks, mosques, conversations while smoking kif with her companions. One interesting chapter ("The Rebel") describes a funeral of a woman who completed suicide. She briefly discusses suicide in the Islamic context and funerary rites.

In 1904, a flash flood swept through Aïn Séfra, Algeria, a settlement near the Moroccan border. While the floods took Eberhardt's life - at age 27 - her notebooks were recovered, edited, and published under this (albeit unfortunate) name. The French title uses 'l'ombre' which isn't as ominous as "shadow".

Eberhardt is hailed as a free spirit, a female adventurer, and a proto-hippie, and a skilled writer and observer.

[Shahine Ardeshir · Rating 4 out of 5]

“In the Shadow of Islam” is a collection of travel notes written by Isabelle Eberhardt, a woman who chose to give up life in European society to go to Algeria, convert to Islam and then travel through North Africa disguised as a man, all in the early 1900s. If that isn't enough to tempt you into picking it up, I don't know what is!

Through her writing, which is detailed, rich and descriptive with details and full of respect, Isabelle instantly transported me into an entirely different world. Before technology or communication, before the Middle East or Northern Africa was equated with terrorism or oil economies. A time when the desert was beautiful, daunting, humbling and honest. A time, I suppose, that is long past.

What comes through in her words are her obvious love for travel and adventure, and her surprising open-mindedness to cultures other than her own. Her opinions on women’s role in society (both what is it and what it should be) is exceptionally modern, and her honesty about her own troubles and search for peace are inspiring.

Although the book meanders (mostly because it’s not a book as much as a collection of notes she made while on the road), it remains honest and alive through every page. I walked away full of admiration for the courage and openness of a woman who obviously knew what it meant to live each day to the fullest, and whose spirit has justifiably lived on over a century after her body left.

In an era of open plagiarism, popularist novels written to please popularist readers, it’s a pleasant change to find something ancient, wise and authentic. What a rare find this book was, what a gem of a read it turned out to be.

[Edita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always been astonished to see that a fashionable hat, the right bustline, a pair of stiff boots, a little suit of cumbersome little furniture, some silverware and porcelain is enough to quench, in so many people, the thirst for well-being. While very young I was seized by the world's existence and I wanted to know it to its limits. I wasn't made to whirl through intrigues wearing satin blinders. I didn't construct myself for ideal: I went for discovery. I'm quite aware that this way of life is dangerous, but the moment of danger is also a moment of hope. Besides, I have been penetrated by this idea: that one can never fall lower than oneself. When my heart has suffered, then it has begun to live. Many times on the paths of my errant life, I asked myself where I was going, and I've come to understand, among ordinary folk and with the nomads, that I was climbing back to the sources of life; that I was accomplishing a voyage into the depths of my humanity.

[Czarny Pies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isabelle Eberhardt was a Jewish, anarchist, Sufi, Talib whose spirit of adventure led to her death in 1904 at the young age of 27. I think we can safely assume that she was the only one that there ever was. Given the current state of the world it is very unlikely that there will be any more in the future. Her writings then offer some highly unique pleasures. "In the Shadow of Islam" is a wonderful book about the little people of Algeria during the period of French rule. I do not, however, think that it is the best introduction to her work. I would try either the "Obliviion Seekers" or "Au pays des sables" first.
This book's highly misleading title was chosen by the posthumous editors. It has essentially nothing to do with Islam as a spiritual quest. It is about living in Muslim country under the occupation of a European colonial power. Eberhardt's quick sketches and short stories demonstrate the same brilliance as can be found in Turgenev's remarkable "Mémoies d'un chasseur" about life in rural Russia in the 19th century. As Eberhardt was like Turgenev also a Russian living in exile, I find it inconceivable that she had not read this work.
Eberhardt writes short, efficient stories young girls who fall into prostitution, miserable Frenchmen who try to farm in Algeria, unhappy Berbers in the colonial army, poor mendicants, women in arranged marriages and simple tradesmen who all find life a tremendous struggle in a French colony that seems to bring neither prosperity nor happiness to no one. It is a truly a great book about the victims of the colonial system both amongst the Europeans and the Arabs.

[Mani]

J'ai aimé le livre , les pensées d'Isabelle , qui a visité mon territoire ( oued souf sud est d'Algerie )
, elle le décrit mieux qu'un Algerien qui habite labas .

[Murat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Öncelikle Isabel Eberhardt’tan bahsetmek isterim. 1877 yılında gayrimeşru bir çocuk olarak dünyaya gelir. Annesi Rus aristokrat kökenli iken onu yetiştiren ve hayatının şekillenmesinden oldukça etkili olan (üvey?) babası ise Ermeni asıllı ve sonradan Müslüman olmuş bir anarşist: Alexandre Trophimowsky.

Bu ilgi çekici adam, Isabel’e küçük yaşta Arapça, Latince öğrettiği gibi, sıkı bir disiplinle at binme silah kullanma becerilerini de edinmesi sağlıyor. 1897 yılında babasının ölmesi üzerine, maddi ve manevi olarak zor günler geçiren Isabel, İsviçre’de daha fazla kalmak istemez ve 20 yaşında annesi ile birlikte Cezayir’e taşınır. (Bu kitabın önsözünde babasının 1899’da öldüğü yazılıyor ancak başka kaynaklara göre bu bilgi yanlış, daha önce ölen babası ve annesi ile Cezayir’e gitmeleri bu yüzden.. Bu bilgi bana daha mantıklı geldiği için bunu doğru kabul ettim) Burada annesi ile birlikte Müslüman olurlar.

Çok geçmeden annesinin ölümü ile sarsılan Isabel, artık tam olarak yalnızdır. Daha sonraları ise üvey kardeşi Vladimir’in intihar haberini alacak ve bu noktaya kadar özetlemeye çalıştığım yaşamı; yalnızlık, özgürlük, doğa, ölüm, kimlik/cinsiyet gibi temalar üzerine düşünerek yazıp yaşadığı bir arayışa dönüşecektir.

Isabel, Afrika çöllerinde gezer ve yazar, gezer ve yazar. 1800’lü yılların sonunda ve Islam coğrafyasında, bir kadın olarak. Ve bunu Kuzey Afrikalı Müslümanlardan çok sömürgeci Fransızların garipsediğini yazar. Kadiriye tarikatı öğreti ve inanışlarından etkilenir. Çöl yaşamını, yaşadığı kültürü özümsemek için erkek kılığına girer ve Si Mahmud ismini alır: "Genç bir Avrupalı gibi giyinseydim, hiçbir şey göremezdim. Bu dünya bana kendini kapatırdı. Zira dış hayat erkekler içindi, kadınlar için değil. Ben kalabalıkların içine karışmayı seviyorum."

Belirtmek gerekir ki kadın olduğu, adının Isabel olduğu bir sır değildir. Ama bu Si Mahmud olarak, bir kardeş olarak görülmesine de engel değildir. Bir erkek gibi yetiştirilmiş olması da bu noktada farklı yorumlara kapı açar.

1901’de öldürülmeye çalışılır ve bıçaklanır. Saldırgan bir Arap’tır ve öne sürülen saldırı sebebi, İslam’ın adını kötüye çıkarmaktır. Bazı kaynaklar, bu suikast girişiminin arkasında Eberhardt’ın sömürge karşıtlığından ve yaşam tarzından rahatsız olan Fransa’nın bulunduğunu belirtir. Her halükârda, Fransız yönetimi bu durumu Isabel’i Kuzey Afrika’dan uzaklaştırmak için fırsat bilir ve Isabel sürgün edilir. Kuzey Afrika’ya tekrar dönmek isteyen Isabel, sevgilisi Fransız vatandaşı Cezayirli Müslüman asker Süleyman Ehni ile Marsilya’da evlenerek Cezayir’e geri döner. (O yıllarda Cezayirli Müslümanların Fransız vatandaşı olmalar için İslam’dan vazgeçmeleri şartken, Süleyman’ın bundan muaf olması Fransız ordusuna hizmet etmesi ile ilgili olsa gerek).

O kadar sıra dışı bir yaşam ki, her şeyi yerli yerine koymak oldukça zor ve çoğu hususta birbirinden farklı birden çok açıklama mümkün. Bunları kendinizin keşfederek karar vermeniz en iyisi.

Ama şu sıra dışı bilgi ile noktalayayım: bu efsanevi hayat yine şaşırtıcı bir şekilde son bulur: Isabel, 27 yaşında Kuzey Afrika’da bir çöl kasabasında sel baskınında ölür. Evet çölde ve selde. Bu selde yazıları büyük ölçüde yok olur, kalanlar eşi Süleyman tarafından korunur. Bu kalan yazıların kitap haline getirilerek yayımlanması sürecinde öne çıkan isim Victor Barrucand. Barrucand’ın Isabel’in notlarına ekleme çıkarmalar yaptığı (anti kolonyal öğeleri çıkarmak gibi) ve üslubunu değiştirdiği gibi eleştiriler mevcut. (ilk kitap çıktığında Süleyman hayatta değildir, Isabel’den 2 yıl sonra ölmüştür.)

Son olarak gelelim kitaba. Şu an yorum yaptığım, Ülke Yayınlarından çıkan İslam’ın Gölgesinde kitabı aslında 3 kitaptan oluşuyor:

1. Kitap: Kumulların Tutsağı
2. Kitap: İslam’ın Gölgesinde
3. Kitap: Kayıtsızlık Arayışı…

Yani bu kitap, sadece İslam'ın Gölgesinde kitabından ibaret olmayıp, Isabel’in Türkçeye çevrilmiş tüm yapıtlarını içeriyor.

3. Kitap: Kayıtsızlık arayışı, kısa hikayelerden oluşuyor ve bu kitap Alakarga Yayınları tarafından Unutuşu Arayanlar olarak ayrı şekilde yayımlanmış. Ben ilk önce bu hikayeleri okumuş ve oldukça beğenmiştim. Genel olarak Alakarga Yayınları çevirisini daha akıcı ve şiirsel buldum ama bu oldukça subjektif bir yorum ve bu konudaki kanılarımın doğruluğundan emin değilim. Herkesin kendi kararını vermesi yerinde olur.

Yorum oldukça uzadı.. Düşünce o dur ki:

Gözünüz yollarda, uzaklarda, yersiz yurtsuz gönlünüz arayışlarda ise, Isabel ellerinizi uzatmanız gereken sıra dışı ve güzel bir ruh.

Kapanışı da o yapsın:

“Zenginlik içinde yaşanan dertsiz zamanları genelde sıkıcı ve tatsız bulurum. Fakat şu anda hiçbir şeye sahip değilim. Her zaman olduğundan daha geniş bir bakış açım var sadece. Ruhum ızdırapla şekillenip olgunlaştı ve duygularım her şeyi besleyen o harikulade gizeme tamamen açık olmama izin veriyor artık.

Okuması yazması olmayan, hayatta olup bitenlerden habersiz bedevi çoban, görkemli çöl ufuklarına yüzünü çevirmiş Allah'a şükrediyor ve ölümün karşısında yine Allah'ı methediyor gündoğumunda. O, bu haliyle, derinliğini asla anlayamadığı dünyayı kötülemek için ve tüm iyi duyguların mayası olan o güzel, yüce acıyı; ızdırap çekmeyi aşağılamak için cümle üstüne cümle kuran entelektüelden çok daha üstün.

Geçmişte, maddi olarak hiçbir eksiğimin olmadığı, fakat ilim ve ahlak konularında bilgisiz olduğum günlerde, çoğu zaman iç karartıcı bir can sıkıntısı içerisindeydim. Hakkında hiçbir şey bilmediğim hayatı durmadan lanetliyordum. Sadece şimdi, gurur duyduğum bir yoksulluğun tam ortasında bulunurken hayatın güzel ve yaşamaya değer olduğunu düşünüyorum. Yalnızca üç şey gözlerinizi açar ve gerçekliğin büyüleyici vaadini görmenizi sağlar; ızdırap, inanç ve aşk. Hepsinin üzerinde aşk...”

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intrigued by the legend of a young woman in the late 1800s who learned Arabic, converts to Islam, and explores Morocco and Algeria - always dressed as a man in order to have more access and freedom in her explorations - I picked up this book. I think the woman is more interesting than her book, which nevertheless does offer her journal notes, observations and thoughts. An interesting enough read, fueled and made a lot more so by my own imagination...

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't describe how powerful I found this book to be. Because it is real, unfiltered, showcasing how one woman is reaching the limits of her thought and experience and is not afraid to look at herself.

[lunablanca · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Hayatın içinde tek başına yol alanlar nasıl da görkemlidirler. Mutsuz görünüyor olabilirler fakat onlar güçlü ve kutsaldır. Tek başına ilerleyen varlıklar... Diğerleri yalnızca yarım ruhlardır."

[Iina Allonen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kirjasta jäi ristiriitaiset fiilikset. Hymähtelin myötäilevästi naïveille ajatelmille jotka nostivat kiusallisesti mieleen Siepparin ruispellossa. Kasvutarinaksi tästä ei silti oikein ole. Sveitsiläisnainen seilaa maghrebilaisaavikoilla, -keitailla ja -kylissä, suureksi osaksi Ranskan siirtomaaherruuden ansiosta, orientalismista huumautuneena.

Islamin tasa-arvoon ja reiluuteen viehättyneenä matka on tietenkin tehtävä mieheksi pukeutuneena, jotta pääsisi näkemään myös paikat joihin naiset eivät pääse....samalla hän halveksii länsimaisten naisten tapaa olla ja elää, tuomiten nämä pinnallisiksi keimailijoiksi, ja korottaen itseään henkisyyden ilmentymäksi, koska tekee ajatelmatyötään aavikoilla ja keitailla. Kyrryytteli myös tapa jolla hän iloitsi muita alaspäin painamalla siitä miten _hän_ henkistyneesti voi iloita pienistäkin asioista (tähtitaivaista, auringonlaskuista, naisista kaivolla), mutta haikailee kuitenkin jo seuraavassa kappaleessa syvemmälle aavikon siimekseen matkakuumeensa vallassa.

Hän tekee kuitenkin mielenkiintoisia vertauksia paikallisten ja länsimaalaisten nuorten suhtautumisesta esimerkiksi huvituksiin ja seurapiirielämään, koska tuntee molemmat tavat.

Liikkuva aavikkofilosofielämä miehenä lienee hänelle hyvin sopinutkin, ottaen huomioon että hänen asetuttuaan paikoilleen ja palattuaan ns. viimeiseltä aavikkomatkaltaan rauhaa & tasa-arvoa kunnioittavan muslimimiehensä luokse, tuli hän sattumalta tapetuksi samaisen miehen kättentyönä.

Matkapäiväkirjatekstejä on ansaitusti käytetty kylien kulttuurihistorian haisteluun; kuvaukset ihmisten arjesta olivat poikkeuksetta kiinnostavia. Myös maisemakuvaukset olivat kuin olisi ollut matkalla itsekin.

Jokin kirjasta jäi silti puuttumaan, enkä tiedä olisivatko tulvaankadonneet lehdelmät tuoneet siihen lisää syvyyttä.

[Narius Kairys · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book of Eberhardt's, or should I say Si Mahmoud's, is not only a guidebook to North Africa as it was one hundred years ago but first and foremost it is an invitation to ponder upon the enchantment of unknown and the disenchantment of the familiar. In other words, this book is for those who much too often find themselves standing at a crossroads.

[Morgan Eigel · Rating 2 out of 5]

the delusion is strong with this one

[Kawthar · Rating 2 out of 5]

actuellement c'est 2,5/5
un petit livre qui se termine en un jour je dirais plutôt que c'était un livre descriptif du Sahara ou la narratrice parlait d'ici de la de diverses choses dont ses sentiments de solitude de la nature qui l'entoure et j'en passe j'ai pas apprécié cette lecture

[Eric Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly one of the most interesting people who has ever lived. A patron saint of travelers.

[Fahad Abdullah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Isabelle Eberhardt in the shadow of islam (1877-1904)
The beautiful story of a beautiful and intelligent Russian lady isabelle. She lived for just 27 years but lived thousands of lives during this short time period. The journey from nihilism to islam. Daughter of former Russian orthodox priest and a part-Russian, part-German aristocratic mother, anarchist and nihilist father. The suffering soul finding her way for peace connected herself with sufism. Joined kadrya the first and the oldest of sufi orders. The path of spiritual nihilism was very hard to step on. You will also find a Reflection of love story in this book. She fell in love with slimène Ehnii in Algerian desert and further love life is very painful and tearing. But all these things are not interesting for me. My point of attraction and love for the book appears when I come to read that the stories she collected in the desert of sahara, North Africa and Algeria in short the collection of stories from the heart of islam have become invaluable oral history. Her perception of islam as a future on world stage has been proved prophetic that's what daily telegraph admires too. The stories reflects the life of desert. She was able to visit such places which were not easily accessible but because of her kadrya membership she did. The valuable data on the life of woman and difficulties they face in desert under the umbrella of islam was a tremendous work. This information played a huge role in changing the lives of woman of the localities I mentioned earlier. Let me say one more thing. You will never find a true history in the books of history. A historian of the present age can't write right history of the past. But you will find true reflections of history in the books of literature and poetry of that age. These are not the historians but literary people who can tell you what was going on in the era in which they were living. This book will also help Muslims to accept islam. But you may ask, the Muslims are already muslims, their is no need to accept it again, they already believe in it. And I'll pass a gentle smile to you and I wish I were hug you for your innocence.This is one of the strongest document that a woman given to the world.

[Hannele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kirja on päiväkirjamainen matkakertomus, mitä ei oltu sinällään tarkoitettu suoraan kenenkään luettavaksi vaan enemmän kirjoittajan omiksi muistiinpanoiksi. Kirjan lukeminen tuntui samalla toisen salaisuuksiin tunkeutumiselta, kuin myös todella kiinnostavalta ja kutkuttavalta. Kirja on tärkeä kuvaus sen ajan islamilaista maata valkoisen naisen (joka pukeutui mieheksi eikä se arabimaissa ketään haitannut) silmin.

Matkakohteen kuvailujen lisäksi Eberhardt on kirjoittanut päiväkirjaansa filosofista pohdintaa mm. monogamisista rakkaussuhteista, sukupuolten tasa-arvosta ja eri kulttuurien juuressa nähtävistä eroista, mitkä heijastavat enemmän nykyajan kasvavaa ajatusmallia kuin kirjoittajan omaa ajankuvaa. Tekstit ovat siis hyvin ajankohtaisia tänäkin päivänä.

Eberhardt on kuvannut päiväkirjaansa matkareittiään, näkemäänsä ja ajatuksiaan hyvin vivahteikkaasti, jopa runonomaisesti. Kirjaa oli suurimmilta osin nautinnollista lukea, vaikka välillä kerronnassa kiinni pysyminen oli hankalaa osin paikallisen sanaston ja myös välillä ajatusvirtamaisen kerronnan vuoksi.

Jos olet lukenut 1800-luvun naistutkimusmatkailijoista (esim. Miia Kankimäen Naiset joita ajattelen öisin) ja pidit kyseisistä teoksista, niin tartu myös tähän. Tässä on yksi tutkimusmatkailijoista itse.

[Julia Holcomb · Rating 4 out of 5]

While certainly a slow read — something that has to be chewed on and digested — Eberhardt’s words are stunning and poignant. This felt less like a reflection on Islam itself than a deep musing on the land she travelled through Morocco and Algeria, although she certainly had a deep reverence for the religion and peoples. Her ideas on love, human connection, and humanity on the whole struck a chord in me at times; although she ultimately devoted herself to isolation in her short life, I still greatly admired her ideas. And the images throughout the book genuinely were jaw-dropping, I am amazed by the way she can write even while experiencing illness.

“The sun is still mine, and the beckoning road. This could be, for a while, an entire philosophy.”

“I asked myself where I was going, and I’ve come to understand… that I was climbing back to the sources of life…”

“I taste a blessed repose in conditions where others would shudder with boredom.”

“Unless the essence of love is just in its varied courtship, and in its endurance of the impossible, rather than in the rash act…”

[Kamila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily one of the best travel writing I’ve read in years. Why is Isabelle so little known?? It’s almost unbelievable to write so well in such young age. I will definitely proceed to read all her books.

[Andrea Irvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I intentionally read this book in a very particular way – in very small doses – and it was wonderful. It took me straight back to my days in North Africa so many years ago. She perfectly captures the colors, landscapes, desert heat, sounds and rhythms. It is a love song, beautifully written.

[Chavlich · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Over the course of months I will place my soul apart.” <3

[Mjt · Rating 4 out of 5]

The thing about memoirs is that they are like journal entries. There isnt really a story with a progressing plot. It took me a while to finish because I wasnt motivated to read someone's thoughts about the landscape. She also doesnt really explain a lot about the culture that is already familiar to her but isnt to a westerner. She uses (what Im assuming is) Arabic terminology to describe certain places or people and never gives a translation or explanation as to what it means or what it may liken to in western terms. Simultaneously, she writes from an outsider standpoint, so some of the things she says about the varying cultures coexisting, the slaves, the treatment of the women, are purely objective and, from a more socially aware point of view, ignorant and harmful. She does, however, elloquently paint vivid pictures of the days she spent wandering through these towns and the people she meat there. It was difficult to get motivated to start reading, but once i started i couldnt stop. She doesnt often offer her reflections on the state of things or her feelings about her experiences, but when she does its captivating. It reminds me whats at the heart of travel. If you love poetry, read this!

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5