Sweet boy, dear wife by Heather Rossiter
Wakefield Press, 2015. ISBN 9781743053782. (Age: 16+) Non-fiction.
What an
amazing woman! Jane Dieulafoy cut her hair short and dressed as a
man, and set off with her husband Marcel to explore the mysterious
lands of Persia, riding a horse and carrying a shotgun for
protection against bandits and other dangers, including lions! She
learnt and spoke Farsi fluently, outwitted canniving despots,
suffered numerous attacks of malaria and fever, endured thirst,
hunger, fleas and headlice, and survived to explore the ruins of
ancient times, uncovering beautiful artefacts beneath rubble and
dirt. Archaeology and photography were among her many talents, as
well as wits and determination, for there were times when Marcel,
seriously ill, had to depend on her to protect and guide them to
safe refuge.
Could such a woman have really existed in the late 1880s?
Unbelievable as it might seem, this is not fiction. Author Heather
Rossiter draws on meticulous research to piece together the story of
their adventures, drawing on Jane's own diaries and the writings of
others from the period. The result is a thorough documentation of
Jane's life culminating with the award of Chevalier de la Legion
d'honneur by the President of the French Republic. The Lion and
Archer friezes retrieved from Persia and displayed in the Louvre
Museum are the treasures that she brought back.
Rossiter includes many of Jane's black and white photographs of men
and women she encountered, from palaces, from harems and lowly
villages. These are supplemented by the author's own colour
photographs of the temples and ruins the couple explored. The story
of Jane and Marcel is supplemented by rich historical detail of the
times of Darius, Alexander the Great, Xerxes and other rulers in
Ancient Persia, and creators of the marvels that Jane and Marcel
documented for their audience at home in France.
The book is an interesting combination of biography, history, and
travel. So much so, I've now added Iran to my travel wish list.
Helen Eddy
