Passionate Nomad: The Life of Freya Stark
Jane Fletcher Geniesse (2001)

THE A5 BOOK REVIEW

Freya Stark was a legendary traveler and writer, known for the boldness of her exploration and the beauty of her prose.  Her own story is told in the biography Passionate Nomad: The Life of Freya Stark.  Her childhood was unstable and miserable, despite growing up as a child of privilege.  She struggled with relationships, often focusing on the wrong men, but she had a gift for friendship that made her very popular within powerful London social circles.  Her knowledge of Middle Eastern culture led her to work closely with the British military and diplomatic corps during World War II, and her experience here provides an interesting view into that historical period.  All in all, the book is an interesting biography on a complex and powerful woman.
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OTHER A5 RECOMMENDED TRAVEL BOOKS - FREYA STARK

There is so much to choose from when looking at Freya Stark's work, but readers can't go wrong with her most famous book, The Valleys of the Assassins, which was recognized as a classic piece of travel literature when published in 1934.  She is a truly great writer.  Fans will also enjoy The Journey's Echo, a collection of her best writing.  Click here to learn more about Freya Stark and her work.

GREAT QUOTES:

"Freya inspired a whole generation of younger travel writers because she looked for the underlying truths in all she saw.  Her sty.e, poetic and sometimes even mystical, was stunningly original, and she left behind a body of work unequaled in its perceptions of the remote peoples who make up the Islamic world.  Those seeking a better grasp of the special nature of Middle Eastern societies still find these travel classics invaluable.  In the end, however, it may not be her travel books but her vast archive of vivacious, marvelously descriptive letters, alive with whatever mood and condition she found herself in, in whatever obscure corner of the world, that will stand longest as Freya's contribution to literature."
​- Jane Fletcher Geniesse, Passionate Nomad: The Life of Freya Stark

INTERESTING LINKS:

  • Read esteemed travel writer Colin Thubron's New York Times article, "Sophisticated Traveler", on Passionate Nomad: The Life of Freya Stark
  • Or, enjoy the excellent article, "Stalking Freya Stark", also by Jane Geniesse, in the Washington Post​
  • Read Freya Stark's obituary from the New York Times, written by Peter E. Flint and published at the time of her death in 1993.