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تصویرهایی از ایران
نخستین اثر او کتاب کمحجم اما زیبای سفرنامه، تصویرهایی از ایران، شرح مسافرت است که در 1310ـ1311/ 1893 نوشت و یادگار سفر وی به ایران و تأثیری است که این سرزمین بر وی نهاد. گرچه نویسنده خود ارزش ادبی چندانی برای این یادداشتها قائل نبود و تنها به شرط آن که نامش بر پشت جلد نباشد با انتشار آن در 1312/ 1894 موافقت کرد، این اثر با استقبال روبرو شد و سالها بعد با مقدمة سودمند دنیس راس با عنوان کوتاهتر (تصویرهایی از ایران) و در 1326ش/ 1947 با مقدمة آرتور آربری به چاپ رسید. این کتاب در 1363ش با ترجمة فارسی بزرگمهر ریاحی در تهران منتشر شد
153 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1894
14 people are currently reading
587 people want to read
About the author
Gertrude Bell
95 books128 followersGertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell, CBE was an English writer, traveller, political officer, administrator, and archaeologist.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
June 25, 2021
Very probably I´m not as impressed as I´m supposed to be.
The sketches - letters - were initially not meant for publishing, but as fame grew there was a certain "public demand" and eventually the letters became a book.
I can not blame Gertrude Bell for the early 19th century Orientalist worldview.
As everyone else from that era, she looked at the Orient with equal awe and wonder.
However, she did have an eye for detail and was not only observant of the peculiar differences between East and West but also of the similarities.
If she had spent more time in Persia - and outside Teheran and the northwestern parts the Persian Pictures might have looked quite different.
Regrettably I cannot recognize any of the wonders of Persia I have experienced and come to love through the book, not even slightly.
As for her alleged fantastic translation of the poems of Hafez ... bullshit.
An editor should have put in a note about her use of a German translation as an intermediate and the clumsiness of her rhymes. Dixit.
The sketches - letters - were initially not meant for publishing, but as fame grew there was a certain "public demand" and eventually the letters became a book.
I can not blame Gertrude Bell for the early 19th century Orientalist worldview.
As everyone else from that era, she looked at the Orient with equal awe and wonder.
However, she did have an eye for detail and was not only observant of the peculiar differences between East and West but also of the similarities.
If she had spent more time in Persia - and outside Teheran and the northwestern parts the Persian Pictures might have looked quite different.
Regrettably I cannot recognize any of the wonders of Persia I have experienced and come to love through the book, not even slightly.
As for her alleged fantastic translation of the poems of Hafez ... bullshit.
An editor should have put in a note about her use of a German translation as an intermediate and the clumsiness of her rhymes. Dixit.
April 8, 2023
Persian Pictures is a prose poem created in parallel with her interest in, and later translation of, the poems of Hafiz. She was in her twenties when she traveled to Persia, having already studied the language. A line by the poet Al-Mattanabi may perhaps sum up Ms. Bell's interests: “The finest place in the world is the back of a swift horse, And the best of good companions is a book.”
Her Persian travels were confined to Tehran and the northwestern part of Iran. While reading, be aware of the poetic aspect. Her second chapter is dedicated to a visit to the Zoroastrian Tower of Silence.
In other words, vultures and other flesh eaters cleaned the bones before burial.
Paradise is a Persian word for garden. Gardens serve as metaphors for the East:
Her Persian travels were confined to Tehran and the northwestern part of Iran. While reading, be aware of the poetic aspect. Her second chapter is dedicated to a visit to the Zoroastrian Tower of Silence.
For the tower is the first stage in the weary journey of the dead; here they come to throw off the mantle of the flesh before their bones may rest in the earth without fear of defiling the holy element, before their souls, passing through the seven gates of the planets, may reach the sacred fire of the sun. Gertrude Bell, Persian Pictures (London: Taurus Parke, 2014), 16
In other words, vultures and other flesh eaters cleaned the bones before burial.
Paradise is a Persian word for garden. Gardens serve as metaphors for the East:
you may stand with one foot in an arid wilderness and the other in a shadowy, flowery paradise.Her struggles with language, poetry and understanding are ongoing:
The Sheik would then proceed to annotate them in halting French pointing out that a pun was contained in every rhyme, that half the words wore at the smallest computation two or three different meanings, and that therefore the line might be done into several English versions, each with an entirely different significance, and with an equally truthful rendering of the Persian. At this my brain would begin to whirl.Once she leaves Persia, the narrative flow seems to die; scattershot chapters on shopkeepers and traveling companions didn't grab my attention.
August 10, 2021
Quasi 4 stelle. Ci sono belle descrizioni e riflessioni interessanti e profonde ma a tratti l'ho trovato un po' impersonale.
October 16, 2017
Magnificently and transportively written. Gertrude Bell captures 'Persia' in a time capsule so that Westerner and Iranian alike can travel back over a hundred years to see an intimate portrayal of the country and its cultures in the 1890s. From cholera outbreaks to extravagant feasts as the guests of wealthy merchants, to the tent dwellers and the royal palaces. Gertrude Bell recorded it in beautiful prose and with a detailed sympathy.
November 22, 2024
Not quite what I was expecting, but quite delightful. If you think of the little vignette in The House on Mango Street, Bell does a similar style in making literal pictures of her time in Persia. There isn't a connected narrative throughout, mostly just a study of culture and purpose. I love her insights into humanity as she writes of her travels :) lovely
February 24, 2021
Bell wrote very evocative descriptions of her travels through what was then known as Persia. We don’t really get a whole, clear picture of her trip, but each vignette is a lovely experience to read. With charming brevity, Belk is able to capture simple scenes and make them feel alive. The last few chapters wax philosophical a bit, and don’t have quite as much spark, but this book is an enjoyable old travelogue.
July 17, 2018
In uno degli ultimi capitoli è racchiusa la definizione del viaggiatore secondo l'autrice. Definizione in cui mi ritrovo e che già più di un secolo fa era necessaria. Viaggiatore non è colui che si sposta da un punto all'altro ma colui che in questo tragitto percorre le deviazioni che incontra.
Il libro della Bell esplora un mondo decadente e polveroso da cui affiorano giardini e affanni, reali e metaforici. Siamo nelle fasi finali dell'Impero Ottomano e anche la Persia, pur nella intrinseca diversità storica, risente di questa atmosfera da polvere della storia. Come solo i viaggiatori inglesi sapevano fare, l'autrice percorre a cavallo le strade arroventate di città, villaggi e deserti persiani, mischiandosi ai locali più umili come con i possidenti, dormendo nei caravanserragli e in locande più accoglienti, intercettando le epidemie di colera e osservando la rassegnata attitudine orientale agli eventi.
A distanza di qualche decennio strade simili saranno percorse da Annemarie Schwarzenbach fornendoci un altro affresco di vita locale. Non credo sia un caso che i due (ottimi) libri siano stati scritti da donne, capaci di unire una capacità analitica degna dei veri viaggiatori alla capacità di comprensione antropologica e culturale non scevra da empatia.
Ho letto le 170 pagine in una pigra domenica sera e le pagine sono volate senza sforzo. Potrebbe tuttavia non piacere a chi preferisce narrativa di viaggio moderna o non si trova a suo agio con la geografia e la polvere di un tempo passato, ma nemmeno tanto.
Il libro della Bell esplora un mondo decadente e polveroso da cui affiorano giardini e affanni, reali e metaforici. Siamo nelle fasi finali dell'Impero Ottomano e anche la Persia, pur nella intrinseca diversità storica, risente di questa atmosfera da polvere della storia. Come solo i viaggiatori inglesi sapevano fare, l'autrice percorre a cavallo le strade arroventate di città, villaggi e deserti persiani, mischiandosi ai locali più umili come con i possidenti, dormendo nei caravanserragli e in locande più accoglienti, intercettando le epidemie di colera e osservando la rassegnata attitudine orientale agli eventi.
A distanza di qualche decennio strade simili saranno percorse da Annemarie Schwarzenbach fornendoci un altro affresco di vita locale. Non credo sia un caso che i due (ottimi) libri siano stati scritti da donne, capaci di unire una capacità analitica degna dei veri viaggiatori alla capacità di comprensione antropologica e culturale non scevra da empatia.
Ho letto le 170 pagine in una pigra domenica sera e le pagine sono volate senza sforzo. Potrebbe tuttavia non piacere a chi preferisce narrativa di viaggio moderna o non si trova a suo agio con la geografia e la polvere di un tempo passato, ma nemmeno tanto.
June 27, 2014
I received this book compliments of Taurus Parke Paperbacks through the Goodreads First Reads program.
Gertrude Bell became known for her travels, archaeological and diplomatic work; a figure of some romance and intrigue. She was instrumental in the establishment of Iraq and it's Archaeological Museum and played a role in the overall British presence in the post World War I Middle East.
Before all that she was a young woman from a well off family who had finished her studies at Oxford. Her uncle had become minister to Persia and Gertrude went to visit in 1892. She wrote a diary which was published in 1894 as a series of snapshots of her experiences. which are interesting for glimpses of Iran over one hundred years ago and Bell before she became "The Queen of the Desert".
Like Wilfred Thesinger's Arabian Sands the entirety of Persian Pictures gives a greater understanding of the culture than seems possible from the individual snapshots. There are descriptions of gardens, hospitality, the thought of fly fishing in the robes and veils of a Persian woman (probably similar to my thoughts on fly fishing in the clothes Bell was wearing at the time). Also explanations of the intricacies of observing Ramadan, and a visit to the Shah's Treasure House. When cholera spreads toward Tehran Bell says "Oriental fatalism, which sounds fine enough in theory, breaks down woefully in practice." She was observant of more than landscape and is writing more than impressionistic vignettes of an exotic land.
Gertrude Bell became known for her travels, archaeological and diplomatic work; a figure of some romance and intrigue. She was instrumental in the establishment of Iraq and it's Archaeological Museum and played a role in the overall British presence in the post World War I Middle East.
Before all that she was a young woman from a well off family who had finished her studies at Oxford. Her uncle had become minister to Persia and Gertrude went to visit in 1892. She wrote a diary which was published in 1894 as a series of snapshots of her experiences. which are interesting for glimpses of Iran over one hundred years ago and Bell before she became "The Queen of the Desert".
Like Wilfred Thesinger's Arabian Sands the entirety of Persian Pictures gives a greater understanding of the culture than seems possible from the individual snapshots. There are descriptions of gardens, hospitality, the thought of fly fishing in the robes and veils of a Persian woman (probably similar to my thoughts on fly fishing in the clothes Bell was wearing at the time). Also explanations of the intricacies of observing Ramadan, and a visit to the Shah's Treasure House. When cholera spreads toward Tehran Bell says "Oriental fatalism, which sounds fine enough in theory, breaks down woefully in practice." She was observant of more than landscape and is writing more than impressionistic vignettes of an exotic land.
September 13, 2015
The author Gertrude Bell was, like only very few other woman at her time, a rebel, explorer of worlds closed to ordinary women, an escapee of all traditional conventions, a free spirit, impossible to be tamed. Like another great explorer woman, Alexandra David-Néel, who was born on the same year as Bell in 1868, she traveled through exotic places with the spirit of an adventurer, explorer and with a great love for different cultures.
The book 'Persian Pictures', first published in 1947, is an evidence of the authors deep understanding of the Persian and Turk culture and their traditions. With her beautiful language, she describes her trip through Persia on horse back, and some of her experiences of Turkey.
The just released movie 'Queen of the Desert' featuring Nicole Kidman as Gertrude Bell, is portraying the author's life.
The book 'Persian Pictures', first published in 1947, is an evidence of the authors deep understanding of the Persian and Turk culture and their traditions. With her beautiful language, she describes her trip through Persia on horse back, and some of her experiences of Turkey.
The just released movie 'Queen of the Desert' featuring Nicole Kidman as Gertrude Bell, is portraying the author's life.
March 30, 2018
I love her way of writing. Her descriptions are so colourful and with her sentences she is able to produce emotions suitable for each particular situation.
While reading I was able to build up her pictures in my mind. I could see landscapes, villages and people and it felt like someone with a soft voice described every scene to me, using a particular elegant and non-colloquial way of forming sentences.
Reading this book will not just tell you about a Persia from earlier times, but will also give you a glimpse of a very well educated woman who was amazingly ahead of her time.
The former mentioned non-colloquial way of writing was also the reason why it took me some time to read this book (in english). Even so my english is suitable for most books I often had to check with the dictionary as she often used words that I had never heard before... 😊
While reading I was able to build up her pictures in my mind. I could see landscapes, villages and people and it felt like someone with a soft voice described every scene to me, using a particular elegant and non-colloquial way of forming sentences.
Reading this book will not just tell you about a Persia from earlier times, but will also give you a glimpse of a very well educated woman who was amazingly ahead of her time.
The former mentioned non-colloquial way of writing was also the reason why it took me some time to read this book (in english). Even so my english is suitable for most books I often had to check with the dictionary as she often used words that I had never heard before... 😊
February 27, 2018
Gertrude Bell was a travel writer out of time. Go for the vivid descriptions of another place and another time, stay for observations that ring as true today. She was a generous writer and keen observer of humanity in its many variations.
"All the earth is seemed with roads, and all the sea furrowed with the tracks of ships, and over all the roads and all the waters a continuous stream of people passes up and down - traveling, as they say, for their pleasure. What is it, I wonder, that they go out to see?"
"All the earth is seemed with roads, and all the sea furrowed with the tracks of ships, and over all the roads and all the waters a continuous stream of people passes up and down - traveling, as they say, for their pleasure. What is it, I wonder, that they go out to see?"
August 3, 2017
Time travel is real. Deny the urge to pass judgment on the victorian mentality and colonialism and just take it in. Gertrude Bell was afforded an opportunity as a 24 year-old woman to travel to a place that not many foreign women had ever travelled, then or now. Her letters captured a moment and a people that resonated with me as a woman of Iranian descent who has travelled to Iran. Memorable read.
February 7, 2015
Interessante
Lettura interessante dal punto di vista storico, ma per me troppo 'imperiale' e esoticizzante per essere anche una lettura piacevole.
Lettura interessante dal punto di vista storico, ma per me troppo 'imperiale' e esoticizzante per essere anche una lettura piacevole.
July 2, 2017
An insight into a lost Tehran, and perhaps more interestingly of a certain inquiring but colonial mindset.
April 17, 2021
When I first heard of and learned about Gertrude Bell I was so fascinated by this brave, adventurous explorer. This was a couple of years ago and while I do not want to diminish her achievements this book made me reluctant to read it. Gertrude's thoughts are very eurocentric and often times Gertrude writes about Iran and its people very rudely. Her racism is so casual you might miss it and it makes me so mad. I imagine myself slapping her every time she has a racist thought or says something racist about someone. Granted her trip to Iran, the focus of the book, came at a time when she was still very young. I still really enjoyed reading about her trip but I think I will choose to focus on later points of her life. She faced lots of misogyny and sexism in her life which infuriates me. I feel like history has kind of forgotten her and I'm sad about that because she was so cool!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 29, 2020
This book described the landscape and sceneries of Persia in the ancient time through the travel journal of the author. I am very much in love with the language written here by Gertrude. It created such vivid sceneries to the extent that you could feel like you were experiencing all these journeys with her. For me, the story was meant to be gone through and absorbed slowly. Only then, one could comepletely feel the vibe and enjoy the journey with her.
November 23, 2025
Gertrude Bell è una figura sensazionale per il mondo dell’archeologia, una donna coraggiosa, intelligente e brillante senza nascondere dei controsensi profondi tra il suo pensare e il suo essere. Nonostante ciò, ho adorato questi ritratti, ricchi di riflessioni e scritti magnificamente. Forse, speravo di leggere trovare un po’ più di lei; nelle sue parole sembra “fredda” ed io speravo di “conoscerla” meglio. Tuttavia, per chi ama l’oriente, questo libro è imperdibile.
May 8, 2023
such a lovely and captivating story (i wasn’t expecting f it, to be honest). my question to answer is « dans telle mesure ce livre est un voyage à la rencontre de l’autre »
other, we have learned, is a temporary term. eventually we realize we’re all just the same
other, we have learned, is a temporary term. eventually we realize we’re all just the same
November 28, 2022
Written by an adventurous female traveler in the 1890s, this book combines cultural, historical, and basic life choices descriptions of what Gertrude and her traveling party encounter.
December 13, 2024
The quality of the writing is remarkable, but I wish Bell wasn't so judgy and condescending to the people who live where she spends her holidays. It's annoying
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews