The Zodiac Arch by Freya Stark
A witty, eye-opening tapestry of Freya Stark's writings on travel and a life spent as one of the 20th century's most formidable adventuresses. In chronological order, spanning an extraordinary 50 years, from 1919 to 1967, Stark's writing ranges from eloquent musings on the nature of travel, of being a woman - both writer and explorer - in what was then predominantly a male world. She shares jewel-bright stories from across the world - Arabia to North Africa, Iran and India - that captivate the reader with every sentence. There are romantic picnics under starlit skies on remote islands, meaningful moments of quiet in Mecca and Jerusalem and heartfelt accounts of encounters with a kaleidoscope of people. The Zodiac Arch resurrects lost worlds, reveals a little of the woman behind the legend and is, at heart, a magnetic read for all those under the spell of wanderlust.
It was rare to leave her company without feeling the world was somehow larger and more promisingHer life was something of a work of art...The books in which she recorded her journeys were seductively individual...Nomad and social lioness, public servant and private essayist, emotional victim and mythmaker. -- Colin Thubron * The New York Times *
Few writers have the capacity to do with words what Faberge could do with gems - to fashion them, without violating their quality. It is this extraordinary talent which sets Freya Stark apart from her fellow craftsman in the construction of books on travel. * The Daily Telegraph *
Freya Stark remains unexcelled as an interpreter of brief encounters in wild regions against the backdrop of history. * The Observer *
One of the finest travel writers of our century. * The New Yorker *
A Middle East traveler, an explorer and, above all, a writer, Freya Stark has, with an incomparably clear eye, looked toward the horizon of the past without ever losing sight of the present. Her books are route plans of a perceptive intelligence, traversing time and space with ease. * Saudi Aramco World *
Few writers have the capacity to do with words what Faberge could do with gems - to fashion them, without violating their quality. It is this extraordinary talent which sets Freya Stark apart from her fellow craftsman in the construction of books on travel. * The Daily Telegraph *
Freya Stark remains unexcelled as an interpreter of brief encounters in wild regions against the backdrop of history. * The Observer *
One of the finest travel writers of our century. * The New Yorker *
A Middle East traveler, an explorer and, above all, a writer, Freya Stark has, with an incomparably clear eye, looked toward the horizon of the past without ever losing sight of the present. Her books are route plans of a perceptive intelligence, traversing time and space with ease. * Saudi Aramco World *
Freya Stark (1893-1993), 'the poet of travel', was the doyenne of Middle East writers and one of the most courageous and adventurous female travellers in history. She explored Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, Iran, Iraq and Southern Arabia, where she became the first western woman to journey through the Hadhramaut. Usually solo, she ventured to places few Europeans had ever been. She received the title of Dame and her many, now classic, books include Travels in the Near East, A Winter in Arabia, The Southern Gates of Arabia, Alexander's Path, Dust in the Lion's Paw, East is West and Valleys of the Assassins.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781780766881 |
| ISBN 10 | 1780766882 |
| Title | The Zodiac Arch |
| Author | Freya Stark |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |
| Year published | 2014-08-19 |
| Number of pages | 240 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |