Morocco - Travel, Romantic Fiction Themes, Africa - Travel Essays & Descriptions, U.S. Authors - 20th Century - Literary Biography, Travel - General & Miscellaneous, Travel Essays & Descriptions - General & Miscellaneous, Historical Romance, General & Mis

In Morocco

Name: In Morocco
Author: Edith Wharton
ISBN: 9781420944679

by Edith Wharton

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Overview

In 1917, amid the turmoil of World War I, Edith Wharton, the author of The Age of Innocence and The House of Mirth, travelled to Morocco. A classic of travel writing, In Morocco is her account of this journey through the country's cities and through its deserts. The Ecco Travels edition of In Morocco brings this previously rare and hard-to-obtain Edith Wharton classic back into print after an absence of many decades.

About the Author, Edith Wharton

Edith Wharton wrote more than forty volumes of novels, poetry, essays, memoirs and travel books, including The House of Mirth, and The Age of Innocence, for which she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. She died in 1937.

Biography

Edith Newbold Jones was born January 24, 1862, into such wealth and privilege that her family inspired the phrase "keeping up with the Joneses." The youngest of three children, Edith spent her early years touring Europe with her parents and, upon the family's return to the United States, enjoyed a privileged childhood in New York and Newport, Rhode Island. Edith's creativity and talent soon became obvious: By the age of eighteen she had written a novella, (as well as witty reviews of it) and published poetry in the Atlantic Monthly.

After a failed engagement, Edith married a wealthy sportsman, Edward Wharton. Despite similar backgrounds and a shared taste for travel, the marriage was not a success. Many of Wharton's novels chronicle unhappy marriages, in which the demands of love and vocation often conflict with the expectations of society. Wharton's first major novel, The House of Mirth, published in 1905, enjoyed considerable Literary Success. Ethan Frome appeared six years later, solidifying Wharton's reputation as an important novelist. Often in the company of her close friend, Henry James, Wharton mingled with some of the most famous writers and artists of the day, including F. Scott Fitzgerald, André Gide, Sinclair Lewis, Jean Cocteau, and Jack London.

In 1913 Edith divorced Edward. She lived mostly in France for the remainder of her life. When World War I broke out, she organized hostels for refugees, worked as a fund-raiser, and wrote for American publications from battlefield frontlines. She was awarded the French Legion of Honor for her courage and distinguished work.

The Age of Innocence, a novel about New York in the 1870s, earned Wharton the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1921 -- the first time the award had been bestowed upon a woman. Wharton traveled throughout Europe to encourage young authors. She also continued to write, lying in her bed every morning, as she had always done, dropping each newly penned page on the floor to be collected and arranged when she was finished. Wharton suffered a stroke and died on August 11, 1937. She is buried in the American Cemetery in Versailles, France.

Author biography from the Barnes & Noble Classics edition of The Age of Innocence.

Good To Know

Upon the publication of The House of Mirth in 1905, Wharton became an instant celebrity, and the the book was an instant bestseller, with 80,000 copies ordered from Scribner's six weeks after its release.

Wharton had a great fondness for dogs, and owned several throughout her life.

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Editorials

Library Journal

During her travels in Morocco in 1917, Wharton kept a rather complete, descriptive account of her experiences. As expected of such a superbly talented author, her observations are well written and interesting. While this gives listeners a real feel for desert living and tribes, it does not include a map, which would have been helpful in following and better understanding her journey. Wharton provides some historical perspective and unusual insight into the travel of that period and into the lives of women. Her account of visits to harems provide the most educational and fascinating listening. Anna Fields reads beautifully, gliding through a great many difficult names, making only one detectable pronunciation error. Unfortunately, old travel books normally attract a rather limited audience. True armchair travelers or those with a special interest in Morocco may be interested. Libraries seeking older verbal travelogs should consider.--Carolyn Alexander, Brigadoon Lib., Salinas, CA Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Booknews

Presents detailed case studies of seven heavyweight British politicians who have defected from their party since 1886. Among them are Joseph Chamberlain, Winston Churchill, Ramsay MacDonald, and Roy Jenkins. Chapters also explore the forces that discourage politicians from changing party and the factors that can overcome them. No subject index. Distributed by Ashgate. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)