Isabelle Eberhardt facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Isabelle Eberhardt
Eberhardt in 1895 photographed by Louis David
Born	Isabelle Wilhelmine Marie Eberhardt 17 February 1877 Geneva, Switzerland
Died	21 October 1904(1904-10-21) (aged 27) Aïn Séfra, Algeria
Burial place	Muslim cemetery of Sidi Boudjemâa, west of Aïn Séfra, Algeria
Nationality	Swiss
Other names	Si Mahmoud Saadi
Occupation	Explorer, writer
Spouse(s)	Slimane Ehnni ​ (m. 1901)​

Isabelle Wilhelmine Marie Eberhardt (born February 17, 1877 – died October 21, 1904) was a brave Swiss explorer and writer. Even as a teenager, Isabelle wrote short stories using a boy's name. She became very interested in North Africa, learning about it through letters.

In 1897, Isabelle moved to Algeria. She started dressing like a man and became a Muslim, taking the name Si Mahmoud Saadi. Because of her unusual lifestyle, many European settlers and French officials in Algeria did not accept her.

Isabelle became part of the Qadiriyya, an Islamic group. This made the French officials think she might be a spy. She survived an attack soon after. In 1901, she was told to leave Algeria. But she was allowed to come back a year later after marrying Slimane Ehnni, an Algerian soldier. After returning, Isabelle wrote for a newspaper and worked with General Hubert Lyautey. In 1904, at just 27 years old, she died in a flash flood in Aïn Séfra.

After her death, her writings were published and became very popular. People saw her as someone who supported freedom for countries under colonial rule. Streets in Béchar and Algiers were named after her. Isabelle's life has inspired many books, a 1991 film called Isabelle Eberhardt, and an opera.

Isabelle Eberhardt's Early Life

Isabelle Eberhardt was born in Geneva, Switzerland. Her parents were Alexandre Trophimowsky and Nathalie Moerder. Her father, Alexandre, was a tutor who had different ideas about society. Nathalie was the daughter of a German and a Russian Jew.

Isabelle was taught at home by her father. She learned many languages, including French, Russian, German, Italian, Latin, Greek, and classical Arabic. She also studied philosophy, history, and geography. But she loved literature the most, reading books by famous writers like Leo Tolstoy and Émile Zola. From a young age, Isabelle liked to wear male clothes because it made her feel free. Her father, who had unusual views, did not stop her.

Moving to North Africa

Before 1894, Isabelle started writing letters to Eugène Letord, a French officer in the Sahara desert. She asked him everything about life there. She dreamed of leaving Geneva with her brother, Augustin. Augustin later joined the French Foreign Legion in Algeria. Isabelle asked him to send her a detailed diary of what he saw.

Isabelle Eberhardt in Arabic clothing in 1895.

In 1895, Isabelle published short stories in a magazine using the name Nicolas Podolinsky. She wrote about North African religious life, showing amazing understanding even though she only knew the region from letters. Her writing also spoke against colonial rule. Louis David, a photographer from Algeria, met her and offered to help her move to Algiers.

Isabelle moved to Bône, Algeria, with her mother in May 1897. They did not like how other Europeans treated Arabs. So, they rented an Arabic-style house away from the European area. Isabelle knew that Muslim women could not go out alone or without a veil. So, she dressed as a man, wearing a burnous (a long cloak) and a turban. She quickly became fluent in Arabic. She and her mother also became Muslims. Isabelle found it easy to accept Islam because she believed in fate, and Islam gave meaning to this belief.

Isabelle's unusual lifestyle made her unpopular with the French settlers and officials. They thought she must be a spy trying to cause trouble for the French.

Isabelle started writing stories, including her novel Trimardeur (meaning Vagabond). Her story Yasmina, about a young Bedouin woman who falls in love with a French officer, was published in a local newspaper. Her mother died in November 1897. Isabelle was very sad. Her father, who arrived after her mother's death, did not comfort her.

Travels and Challenges

Isabelle spent her money quickly and soon ran out. In 1899, she returned to Geneva with her brother Augustin. Her father was very ill. Isabelle took care of him, and they grew closer. Her father died in May. Isabelle wanted to sell their house, but there were legal problems. After some time, she mortgaged the property and returned to Africa. With both parents gone, she felt free to live as a traveler. She changed her name to Si Mahmoud Saadi and only wore male clothing. She acted and wrote like an Arab man.

When her money ran low, Isabelle returned to Geneva to sell the house, but there was almost no money left because of legal costs. A friend encouraged her to go to Paris to become a writer, but she had little success.

In Paris, Isabelle met the widow of Marquis de Morès, who had been killed in the Sahara. The widow hired Isabelle to investigate the murder because Isabelle knew the area. This job helped Isabelle, who needed money and wanted to return to the Sahara. She went back to Algeria in July 1900. However, she did not do much to investigate the death.

Isabelle made friends in Algeria and met an Algerian soldier named Slimane Ehnni. They fell in love and lived together. This made the French authorities even more upset with her. During her travels, she met the Qadiriyya, a Sufi (Islamic) group. The leader was very impressed with Isabelle's knowledge of Islam and allowed her to join. This made the French authorities even more suspicious, thinking she was a spy. They put her on a list of people to watch closely.

In January 1901, Isabelle was attacked by a man with a sword. She was wounded but survived. Her attacker said God told him to do it. Isabelle thought the French authorities might have hired him. After she recovered, she joined Slimane Ehnni.

The French authorities then ordered Isabelle to leave North Africa. She went to France in May 1901. In June, she returned to Algeria to give evidence at her attacker's trial. Isabelle said she forgave him and did not want him punished. He was sentenced to life in prison. After the trial, Isabelle was again told to leave Algeria. She went back to France and worked as a dock worker with her brother, disguised as a man. They lived in great poverty, and Isabelle often had fevers. She continued to write her novel Trimardeur.

A friend helped Isabelle meet Eugène Brieux, a writer who supported Arab freedom. He gave her some money and tried to publish her stories, but no one wanted to publish pro-Arab writings. Isabelle kept writing. Her spirits lifted when Slimane Ehnni was transferred to a military unit near Marseille. He did not need permission to marry in France, so he and Isabelle got married in October 1901. In February 1902, Slimane left the army, and they returned to Algeria.

Later Life and Death

Isabelle and Slimane moved to Algiers. Isabelle was a bit disappointed with Slimane, who only wanted a simple job. She focused more on her writing, and some of her short stories were published in local newspapers. In March 1902, she started working for Al-Akhbar (The News) newspaper. Her novel Trimardeur began to appear in parts in August 1903. Isabelle became friends with the newspaper publisher, Victor Barrucand, but he was often frustrated because she only wrote when she felt like it.

Her job did not pay much, but it had benefits. She was able to visit the famous zawiya (a religious school) of Lalla Zaynab. Isabelle spoke highly of her time there, but never said what they discussed. This meeting worried the French authorities.

Isabelle was not good with money. She spent what she had on tobacco, books, and gifts for friends. She would pawn her things or ask for loans when she had no money for food. This behavior made her even more of an outsider among other Europeans. She often left for weeks, either called to Algiers by Barrucand or sent on assignments. She wrote a regular column about the life of Bedouin tribes. Both Isabelle and Slimane often got sick with malaria.

In 1903, Barrucand sent Isabelle to report on the results of a battle. She stayed with French soldiers and met Hubert Lyautey, a French general. Isabelle and Lyautey became friends. Because she knew Islam and Arabic, she helped him communicate with the local Arab people. Isabelle always spoke out against unfair actions by the French. But she believed Lyautey's approach, which focused on talking instead of fighting, would bring peace. Isabelle also worked secretly for Lyautey.

In 1904, Isabelle was very sick with a fever. She returned to Aïn Séfra and was treated at a military hospital. She left the hospital against medical advice and asked Slimane to join her. They reunited on October 20, 1904, and rented a small mud house. The next day, a flash flood hit the area.

General Lyautey immediately searched for her. Slimane was found, saying Isabelle had been swept away by the water. Lyautey and his men searched for days. They eventually explored the ruins of the house and found her. The exact details of her death are still a mystery. Lyautey buried Isabelle in Aïn Sefra and placed a marble tombstone with her adopted Arabic name and her birth name in French.

Isabelle Eberhardt's Legacy

When Isabelle died, she had many unpublished writings. General Lyautey ordered his soldiers to find all her papers after the flood. He sent them to Victor Barrucand. Barrucand put them together, adding his own words where parts were missing. He then started publishing her work. Some people felt that what he published was more his work than Isabelle's.

Her first published story after her death, "Dans l'Ombre Chaude de l'Islam" (In the Warm Shadow of Islam), was highly praised in 1906. This book made Isabelle famous as one of the best writers about Africa. Streets were named after her in Béchar and Algiers. People later saw her as a supporter of women's rights and freedom for countries from colonial rule.

In 1954, writer and explorer Cecily Mackworth wrote a book about Isabelle's life called The Destiny of Isabelle Eberhardt. This book inspired Paul Bowles to translate some of Isabelle's writings into English. Many other books, plays, and films have been made about her life, showing how her unique story continues to inspire people.

Works by Isabelle Eberhardt

Images for kids

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  Isabelle Eberhardt in 1895

See also

In Spanish: Isabelle Eberhardt para niños