
In this lyrical travelogue the narrator invites listeners on a journey from the bustling ports of Marseille to the timeless horizons of Alexandria, showing how modern convenience has turned what once was a perilous odyssey into a leisurely stroll. The opening reflects on Herodotus’s ancient warning—‘to go to Egypt, a long and difficult journey’—and contrasts it with today’s swift connections. Yet the author reminds us that speed cannot erase the mystery that still cloaks the land of the pharaohs.
The book weaves together Egypt’s three great epochs—the age of the pyramids, the Greco‑Roman interlude, and the era of the Khalifas—through vivid scenes of fellahs tending the Nile’s fertile banks and bustling bazaars of Cairo. It recounts scholars rescued by Napoleon’s expedition, ancient art that still breathes life in museum halls, and a culture whose agrarian roots have endured despite countless invasions. Listeners are invited to imagine wandering quiet delta villages or standing before monumental statues, feeling the pulse of a civilization that continues to inspire.
Language
fr
Duration
~3 hours (215K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
France: La renaissance du livre, 1921.
Credits
Laurent Vogel (This book was produced from images made available by the HathiTrust Digital Library.)
Release date
2022-02-12
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1861–1940
A French novelist and journalist who spent decades in Egypt, she wrote vivid books shaped by cross-cultural experience and a strong interest in women’s lives. Her work offers a window into how Egypt was imagined and debated in French writing of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
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