Product Description

Emily Ruete was born in 1840 as Princess Sayyida of Zanzibar. Set against a backdrop of political intrigue in the great age of European colonialism, this memoir offers a portrait of 19th-century Arab and African life, not only in the palace, but in the city and plantations as well.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #850116 in Books
• Published on: 1989-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 298 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Ruete could be the subject of a thrilling romance. As Romero ( Life Histories of African Women ) explains, she was born in 1840 as Salme, princess of Oman and Zanzibar, and grew up privy to the machinations of her father's harem and of her scores of siblings. Following her father the sultan's death in 1856, Salme participated in one brother's unsuccessful coup to wrest the throne from another. Despite strictures confining Islamic women, she trysted with a German who is thought to have impregnated her, fled to Germany where she converted to Christianity, changed her name, married her lover, bore three children and was soon widowed. Ruete relates few of these escapades; instead she provides a disingenuous account of harmonious life at the palace. Despite the profusion of concubines, Ruete claims that Arabs predominantly practice monogamy; her father is a beneficent king--although Romero states that he attained power by murdering a cousin. The disparity between introduction and text, the latter translated from the German, generates a peculiarly successful tension, enhanced by carefully recorded details of court life. Illustrations not seen by PW .
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
Set against a backdrop of political intrigue in the great age of European colonialism, Memoirs Of An Arabian Princess From Zanzibar is an engrossing memoir offering a vivid portrait of 19th century Arab and African life. Life not only in the palace, but in the city and plantations as well. Emily Ruete (born in 1840 as Salme, Princess of Zanzibar and Oman, fled to Germany in 1856, changed her name, married her Germany lover, bore three children, and then widowed) provides a comparison between a woman's life in Moslem society and the conditions within the 19th century European bourgeoisie. -- Midwest Book Review

Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

Customer Reviews

Great inside look at history
While a little biassed and one-sided, this book gives a great insight into the pampered life of a princess of Zanzibar, tempered by her marriage outside the "circle" and the poor treatment she received as a result. Most interesting.

A wonderful book
This book is written by Emily Ruete (formerly, Syiida Salma) who was the daughter of the most influential rulers of Oman and Zanzibar of all times. It was originally written in German and then translated into English and Arabic.
This book is excellent for the kind of readers who are fascinated by history and, Arab and Islam culture. Although the title suggests the author's autobiography, the book goes further to give a clear image on the political aspects and social life of the island of Zanzibar.
I am glad that she had some financial hardships that forced her to write such a book to sell it. It has delivered so much information about Zanzibar that we wouldn't know.

Fascinating
This book contains the memoirs of Emily (Sayyida) Ruete, a Nineteenth Century Arabian princess. It is a fascinating tale of childhood and living conditions within the harem in Nineteenth Century Zanzibar. The book is unique in that Sayyida was one of the very few princesses who learned to write, hence other princesses were not able to record their experiences. It is refreshing to read an insider's report of harem life rather than the strange misinterpretations of short-term foreign visitors. The book also contains firsthand accounts of political intrigue, which will be of interest to students of Zanzibari or Omani history.