 Best Sellers | | Home Passionate Nomad: The Life of Freya Stark | |
|  | |  | | | Passionate Nomad: The Life of Freya Stark | | | | | SKU:
ACOMMP2_book_usedgood_0394583965 | | In Stock | | Availability:
Usually ships in 1-2 business days | | Only 1 left in stock, order soon! | | | | | | With the publication of The Valley of the Assassins in 1934, a legend was launched. Freya Stark had begun the extraordinary adventures that would glamorize her, though distinctly unglamorous, as the last of the great travelers. Hailed as a classic, the book chronicled her travels in remote and dangerous regions of the Middle East, inspiring Lawrence of Arabia to call the audacious, ambitious Freya "a gallant creature."
Her reputation had begun in 1927, when she was captured by French military police after penetrating their cordon around the rebellious Druze. She explored the mountainous territory of the mysterious Assassins of Persia, became the first woman to explore Luristan in western Iran, and followed the ancient frankincense routes to locate a lost city.
At first a thorn in the side of the British colonial establishment for consorting with "wogs," Freya was later extravagantly admired by officialdom. Her knowledge of Middle Eastern languages and life aided the military and diplomatic corps, for whom she conceived an effective propaganda network during World War II.
Throughout her long life--she died in 1993, over a hundred years old, having been knighted at age eighty-two by the Queen--she rejoiced in the attentions of the press and of her audiences. In private she remarked that she put herself in harm's way in order not to fear death.
Her indomitable spirit was forged by contradictions. A child of privilege, she grew up in near poverty after her mother rashly allied herself with an Italian count in a rug manufacturing venture. She yearned for a formal education but was largely self-taught, mastering seven languages. She longed for love but consistently focused on the wrong men. She was thirty-four before she extricated herself from her family and embarked on the travels that would make her reputation. Her astonishing career lasted over sixty years, during which she produced twenty-two books unmatched for perception and poetic prose.
This is a brilliant, balanced biography, rich in sheikhs, diplomats, nomad warriors and chieftains, generals, would-be lovers, and luminaries, with author Jane Fletcher Geniesse digging beneath the mythology to uncover a complex, quixotic, and controversial woman. | | | |
List Price:
| $27.95 | |
Our Price:
| $9.48 | |
You Save:
| $18.47 (66%)
|
| | |
|
| | Product Details | | Author: | Jane Geniesse | | Hardcover: | 432 pages | | Publisher: | Random House | | Publication Date: | September 28, 1999 | | Language: | English | | ISBN: | 0394583965 | | Package Length: | 9.6 inches | | Package Width: | 7.0 inches | | Package Height: | 1.6 inches | | Package Weight: | 1.05 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 37 reviews |
| |
| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review: ( 37 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
61 of 61 found the following review helpful:
 A gem of a book! Nov 04, 2001
By Arali
As a lover of biographies, I became interested in this book after reading a positive review from Modern Library. What could be more interesting than to read about a woman ahead of her time, fearless, captivating, smart and daring? Dame Freya Stark was all of these things, as well as a little "difficult".
Drowning in the despair of a dead-end future and smarting after a broken engagement, Freya decides to embark on a journey to the Middle East and from that moment establishes the course of an adventurous and remarkable life. Having studied Arabic and arming herself with as much knowledge as possible about the people she is going to visit, Freya sets out to explore the mysteries of an often misunderstood people. Often with little else than a donkey and one guide, Freya would visit the remotest, most dangerous places of countries like Yemen and Iraq in search of lost civilizations and ancient ruins. Braving illnesses and occassional mishaps, her attempts prove fruitful as she is able to test the accuracy of British maps; and in proving herself a talented writer of her experiences, she is honored by the Royal Geographic Society. In time her successes win her the respect of both East and West and she becomes a hailed celebrity in her native Great Britain.
Leading a colorful life while making and breaking friendships, Freya is eventually given work with the British Foreign Service during World War II and manages to establish a successful pro-British propoganda organization in the Middle East. Having proven herself an invaluable asset to her country, Ms. Stark is eventually knighted by Queen Elizabeth.
Author Jane Fletcher Geniesse writes an honest account of this great traveler, neither glorifying or demonizing her. We are allowed to see Dame Freya as she truly is: a remarkable woman with all the quirks that make her human. Reading this book was an absolute pleasure and how wonderful to learn about such a courageous woman who did whatever the hell she pleased! To borrow from reviewer Jim Lehrer, "Passionate Nomad is a work of nonfiction that reads and sings with the drama and life of a fine novel".
41 of 41 found the following review helpful:
Tenderly written bio on an astounding human being! Mar 20, 2001
By R. Peterson
"International citizen"
Dame Freya Stark (who died in 1993 at the age of 100) was, simply, an amazing, uppity, wild woman - WELL ahead of her time and full of the demons and insecurities that frequently propel the great among us to show their true colors. Having lived in the Middle East I was absolutely absorbed by this incredibly well-documented and tenderly written portrayal of a woman who eventually became one of the England's most favorite travelers and 'royal geographers' (and, some say, an accurate foreteller of Arab/Israeli conflict)! Stark struck out late in life (in her 30s) on a journey of solitary trips and exploration throughout Syria, Iran, Yemen, and other corners of the region, as well as living an extremely active British propagandist's life in Egypt during WW II. That she traveled alone in places where ne'er a Western woman had trod before is at first extraordinary, but in addition, she also had the skill, want, and presence of mind to write prolifically about her experiences and adventures, not only in the form of news articles but in detailed, emotional, voluminous letters to friends and family. And thank goodness. Stark's life was, in a sense, quite bi-polar. On the one hand she yearned to marry and have children and yet had she done that she would likely never have charted maps, discovered mythical ruins, and run rogue through various British attempts at diplomacy in the Middle East. Her parents split when she was young and her mother was a force to be reckoned with (and is probably responsible for destroying Freya's one attempt at a true marriage as well as destroying Freya's younger sister). Freya, in her search for marriage was drawn to gay men in the Royal British Foreign Service (whom she steadfastly refused to believe were gay). Outside of her (self-proclaimed) failed social achievements, her travel and her writing were extraordinary.Geniesee has done a spectacular job of keeping us, as readers, balanced in our views and Freya, as our "quarry" balanced as well. She shares with the reader the frustrations of people who did not understand Stark, and we read in a number of places about what a difficult travel companion she could be. The reader is also privy to Stark's somewhat bizarre social behavior in which she shuns close friends suddenly and for very (ostensibly) strange reasons. Geniesse, in other words, has done a good job of keeping her protagonist honest for us... something that biographers can sometimes find difficult to do (the urge to glorify or demonize may overtake). This is a monument to women everywhere who find great joy (I do, obviously) in reading about the women who blaze the trails, who reach beyond society's expectations for them, who go and do and learn because they want to, damn it. It was such a pleasure reading about this grand dame.
32 of 32 found the following review helpful:
An excellent biography of an English explorer. Oct 24, 1999
By George B. Adams
Spending time with interesting women who are inaccessible to us in real life is one of the pleasures of a good book and Jane Fletcher Geniesse has just added to the list. The author gives us a detailed account of the life of a fearless wanderer, Freya Stark, whose 100 years on earth (1893-1993)were packed with adventures to rival the tales of the Arabian Nights. Freya, though hardly living up to the attributes of her Norse namesake (no goddess of love and beauty, she!), nevertheless conquered the Arab world by making full use of her strengths: drive, intelligence, and an extraordinary empathy for the peoples of the Middle East. Geniesse does not dismiss her shortcomings but offers good reasons for the bizarre behavior of her heroine. She also handles the historical background with grace and understanding. It was an extraordinary time, made even more so by an indomitable English woman, and the author is to be congratulated for presenting her with such skill.
27 of 29 found the following review helpful:
A well-written, well-researched page-turner. Oct 25, 1999
This is a fair, rounded, and delightfully written biography ofa complex woman who was a brave, solitary British explorer in the Middle East and something of a social misfit in England. In addition to her acclaimed explorations, Stark put her experience to good use during World War II in the service of her country as a propagandist. Mrs. Geniesse bases much of her account on Stark's voluminous correspondence and on many interviews with people who knew her. In ably presenting the many facets of Stark's personality and achievements, she has also produced an extremely readable book.
18 of 18 found the following review helpful:
Captivating, intelligent and a darned good read. Oct 21, 1999
By Adrienne Miller
Amily Dickinson's line "I dwell in possibility" echoed for me as I read this beautifully-crafted biography. Freya Stark saw possibilities where others apprehended obstacles; her ability to seize opportunities for adventure and to record her unusual experiences with intelligence and wit not only saved her from the conventional life of a spinster, but provided her contemporaries with fascinating information about about a part of the world they understood poorly. Her readers and listeners were mesmerized by what she had to tell them. Jane Geniesse's great achievement is that like Stark, she is able to convey a great breadth of learning and observation in a way that is entirely entertaining. This book has taught me a great deal more about Freya Stark, the Middle East and modern European history, but I seem to have no bruises to show for it! Thank you, Ms Geniesse!
See all 37 customer reviews on Amazon.com
| |
| |
| |  | |  |
|
Recently Viewed | You may also like ... |
