Mata Hari: The True Story

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Margaretha Zelle, aka Mata Hari, was executed by the French in 1917 as a German spy. Since she was famous as an exotic dancer, news of the execution shocked Europe and the legend of this unfortunate woman has persisted. Howe, author of The Power Peddlers, etc., argues that she was guilty only of wanting to spy for the French, of hoping to pull off a financial coup and settle down with the man she loved. Her marriage at 18 to Capt. Rudolf MacLeod had taken her to Indonesia and when the marriage broke up and she returned to Europe, she turned to Hindu or Buddhist (she never knew the difference) ``religious'' dancing, which was in essence stripping. This led to life as a demimondaine, and her conquests included a German crown prince and the composer Massenet. Self-dramatizing, self-deceiving, superficial, she was easy prey to the French when a victim was needed. Photos not seen by PW. (May)

Library Journal

Much has been written about Mata Hari, but a lot of it is myth. The famous courtesan and dancer was executed by a French firing squad in 1917 for being a German spy. Howe, a seasoned journal ist and author, recounts Mata Hari's life, devoting most of the book to her arrest and trial. He is the first author to have had access to Mata Hari's judicial files. Based on these files, Howe has written a lucid, readable account in which he satisfactorily argues that Mata Hari was not a German spy, and ``in a professional sense, she was never a spy at all.'' Howe's research supports Sam Waagenaar's much earlier conclusions in Mata Hari (1965). Recommended for public and academic libraries. Kath leen Farago, Lakewood P.L., Ohio