author
Jehan d' Ivray
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.
2 Audiobooks
L'Égypte éternelle
by Jehan d' Ivray
Au cœur du Harem
by Jehan d' Ivray
About the author
Born Jeanne Puech in Bessèges, France, in 1861, she wrote under the pen name Jehan d'Ivray. French reference sources identify her as a novelist and journalist, and note that she later became known as Madame Jeanne Fahmy Bey.
She lived for many years in Egypt, an experience that deeply informed her writing. Library and biographical records describe her books and articles as especially focused on Egypt, its society and customs, and the condition of women; scholars have also described her as a Franco-Egyptian literary figure because of how closely her career became tied to that world.
After returning to France, she remained active in literary life, and one biographical source notes that she hosted a Paris salon from 1919 that brought together both French and Egyptian guests. She died in Vichy in 1940, leaving behind work that still attracts readers interested in travel writing, cultural exchange, and women’s history.