In the Shadow of Islam

In the Shadow of Islam is an extraordinary evocation of the desert and its people by a woman who dressed as a man in order to travel alone and unimpeded throughout North Africa. In 1897 Isabelle Eberhardt, age 20, left an already unconventional life in Geneva for the Morroccan frontier. Gripped by spiritual restlessness and the desire to break free from the confinements of her society she traveled into the desert, and into the heart of Islam. Her experiences inspired a profound self-examination, and In the Shadow of Islam is today regarded as one of the true classics of travel writing.

In 1897 Isabelle Eberhardt, aged twenty, left an unconventional life in Geneva for Kenadsa, at the Moroccan frontier. Gripped by spiritual restlessness and a desire to transcend boundaries, she travelled into the desert, into the heart of Islam. This book follows her. Courage and hunger for authenticity led her into totally unfamiliar territory: she was captivated by the Sahara and its inhabitants, but the same sense of adventure led her also on an interior journey, where lay the true goal for her search. She wrote, 'For me it seems that by advancing into unknown territories, I enter into my life.'.

Library Journal

In either a wicked case of restlessness or the spirit of adventure, Eberhardt packed her bags and left Geneva for the far edges of Morocco in 1897. She was 20 years old. Her journey into the Sahara led to her conversion to Islam. Published posthumously in 1920 (she drowned accidentally in 1904), this records her journey toward a new land and spiritual awareness. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Isabelle Eberhardt was born in Geneva in 1877, the illegitimate daughter of a Russian Orthodox priest and a Russian-German woman. She spent much of her short adult life in North Africa, where she converted to Islam.