Desert Queen: The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell: Adventurer, Adviser to Kings, Ally of Lawrence of Arabia
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Book Overview
The definitive biography, mesmerizing and "richly textured " (Chicago Tribune), that inspired the acclaimed documentary, Letters from Baghdad. - With a new Afterword - "Desert Queen...plucks Gertrude... This description may be from another edition of this product.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0385474083
ISBN13:9780385474085
Release Date:August 1996
Publisher:Nan A. Talese
Length:419 Pages
Weight:1.95 lbs.
Dimensions:10.0" x 1.5" x 6.8"
Customer Reviews
3 ratings
An Extraordinary Adventure
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
Wallach's biography of Gertrude Bell is an excellent read. It offers an intimate picture of Bell, the woman, the intellectual, the adventurer, and the political strategist. Desert Queen offers an outstanding historical and political background of the Post-WWI period of Iraq and the Middle East revealing that the political issues and concerns that confront Iraq today are similar to those which confronted Mesopotamia and Iraq in the early 20th c. This book along with Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T.E. Lawrence and Arabian Sands by Wilfred Thesiger are must reads for those interested in Middle East history, culture and politics.
Gertrude Bell was an extremely contemporary woman.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 26 years ago
Having never heard of Gertrude Bell, it was a complete surprise that the Muslim tribal leaders and British military men of the Victorian age would have allowed the interference, strength and advice that Ms. Bell brought to the table. Extraordinary person of any century. I found this book fascinating, not at all tedious, and appreciated the author not imposing her own vocabulary on the subject.It was especially relevant, in light of King Hussein's recent death, to better understand the genesis of the middle eastern states.
A sweeping biography of a woman ahead of her time
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 27 years ago
A sweeping, fascinating tale of a woman ahead of her time. This will written, well researched biography was hard to put down. Gertrude Bell herself, a contemporary of Lawrence of Arabia, was a complex, brilliant woman whose life was peppered with many tragedies as well as adventures. Diminutive in size, she scaled mountains, camped in the desert and broke bread with tribal chiefs. She felt more at ease in the Middle East than her own homeland of England, where Victorian women were ruled by social confines. Perhaps it was because of her sex that Arabians allowed her more carte blanche. In a countryland which shuts its women off like trophies, Bell was often treated more like a preistess. She had the audacity to be ultimately feminine and intelligent at the same time, which gave her a special status on foreign soil. Professionally, Bell triumphed, and was accepted as an authority on the Middle East. Her love life, however, as well as relationships with her own family, fell short. If you want to entreat yourself to an adventure of a female "Indiana Jones", I recommend this book. Even if you don't care for Gertrude Bell's character, you will not forget her.
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