Record Number: 30771

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'I came away rather early for I had a lesson at 5. My Pundit was extremely pleased with me, he kept congratulating me on my proficiency in the Arabic tongue! I think his other pupils must be awful duffers. It is quite extraordinarily interesting to read the Koran with him and it is such a magnificent book! He has given me some "Arabian Nights" for next time and I have given him some Hafez poems to read, so we shall see what we shall see. He is extremely keen about the Hafez book.'

Century:

1850-1899

Date:

13 Feb 1896

Country:

England

Time

afternoon
evening
daytime

Place:

city: London
specific address: probably 95 Sloane Street.

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

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Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Gertrude Bell

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Female

Date of Birth:

16 Jul 1868

Socio-Economic Group:

Gentry

Occupation:

Oxford graduate, language student, yet to take up formal occupation as archaeologist and political advisor

Religion:

Christian (Anglican) later declared herself atheist

Country of Origin:

England

Country of Experience:

England

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

Gertrude Bell's teacher of Arabic

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

Title:

The Koran

Genre:

Other religious

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

unknown

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Source Information:

Record ID:

30771

Source - Manuscript:

Other

Information:

Gertrude Bell Archive, Newcastle University Library University http://www.gerty.ncl.ac.uk

Additional Information:

Letter from Gertrude Bell to Florence Bell 13 February 1896, London http://www.gerty.ncl.ac.uk/letter_details.php?letter_id=369

Citation:

Gertrude Bell Archive, Newcastle University Library University http://www.gerty.ncl.ac.uk, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=30771, accessed: 28 October 2024

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Additional Comments:

Gertrude Bell also reports reading the Koran on 22 February 1896: see http://www.gerty.ncl.ac.uk/letter_details.php?letter_id=435. She was already proficient enough in Persian to have produced a translated collection of Hafiz's poems published the following year as "The Divan of Hafiz" by Heinemann (1897).