Women Travel Writers from 1750 to the Present

Travel is sacred. Travel is a quest. Travel is an escape. Travel is a passion! It is enlightening, a distraction, a novelty, a dream fulfilled. It may inspire joy, terror, longing - often, all three. Women explorers and travelers are a special breed. Some were also great writers, recording their cross-cultural impressions with stunning vividness, blending history, myth, technology, and poetic imagination. The 22 courageous women profiled in this book encircled the globe. Together, they...
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Travel is sacred. Travel is a quest. Travel is an escape. Travel is a passion! It is enlightening, a distraction, a novelty, a dream fulfilled. It may inspire joy, terror, longing - often, all three. Women explorers and travelers are a special breed. Some were also great writers, recording their cross-cultural impressions with stunning vividness, blending history, myth, technology, and poetic imagination. The 22 courageous women profiled in this book encircled the globe. Together, they form a grand tradition and speak to us today as never before -- Lady Hester Stanhope (1776-1839) left the comfort of England to wander through the Near East - never to return home, so deeply did she treasure her freedom- Fanny Lewald (1811-89) traveled through Europe and especially Italy to record its Risorgimento- Pandita Ramabai (1858-1922) traveled from India and lived through Western experiences that revamped her ideas- Daisy Bates (1859-1951), Irish to the roots, immersed herself in Australian Aboriginals- Gertrude Bell (1868-1926), dubbed "Queen of the Desert," was the most powerful woman in Edwardian England- the Danish Isak Dinesen (1885-1962) made her mark in Africa- Ana#65533;s Nin (1903-77) may be thought of as "a mental traveler"- Freya Stark (1893-1993) - knighted by Queen Elizabeth for her contribution to travel literature - lived among the Druze of Syria and in shades of our own time researched the deadly terrorist group of ancient Persian Assassins- Oriana Fallaci (1930- ) has literally covered the world- Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova (1937- ), has surely traveled the farthest as the first woman in spaceA dozen other women who boldly crossed international barriers often to encounter the most patriarchal cultures of their time are focused on in this delightful book - a significant contribution to travel literature as well as to women's studies.