Record Number: 30771
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
Timeafternoon
evening
daytime
city: London
specific address: probably 95 Sloane Street.
(Reader):
silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown
(Listener):
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown
Reader / Listener / Reading Group:
Reader: 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
Text Being Read:
Author: Title:The Koran
Genre:Other religious
Form of Text:Print: Book
Publication Detailsn/a
Provenanceunknown
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
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).