|
|
Article: `Gertrude Bell': Exploring the life of an adventurer who broke the mold of the Victorian-era woman.
- Article from:
- Chicago Tribune (Chicago, IL)
- Article date:
- May 23, 2007
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Chicago Tribune. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Byline: Ron Grossman
"Gertrude Bell: Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations" by Georgina Howell; Farrar, Straus and Giroux ($27.50)
___
Gertrude Bell was one of those rare figures for whom the expression "larger than life" is too small.
In an age when women were expected to stay close to husband and hearth, she explored uncharted deserts and ascended previously unclimbed mountains. A real-life Indiana Jones, she made important archaeological discoveries in an era when the methodology involved bribing local nabobs and packing a gun lest the natives not be friendly. A linguistic polymath, she translated the love lyrics of medieval ...