author
Lady Lucie Duff Gordon
1821–1869
An English writer and translator with a sharp eye for people and place, she is remembered above all for the vivid letters she wrote from Egypt. Her work stands out for its warmth, curiosity, and unusual closeness to everyday life in the mid-19th century.
2 Audiobooks
Letters from Egypt
by Lady Lucie Duff Gordon
Letters from the Cape
by Lady Lucie Duff Gordon
About the author
Lucie, Lady Duff-Gordon was born in 1821, the daughter of John Austin and Sarah Austin, and grew up in an unusually literary world. She became fluent in German while young, later moved in prominent London literary circles, and wrote under the name Lucie Gordon.
She is best known for Letters from Egypt, 1863–1865, drawn from the years she spent abroad after tuberculosis damaged her health. After traveling first to South Africa and then to Egypt, she settled for a time in Luxor, learned Arabic, and wrote lively, observant letters about Egyptian life, religion, and customs. Readers have long valued these letters for their intelligence and sympathy.
Duff-Gordon died in 1869, and later collections such as Last Letters from Egypt helped secure her reputation as both a travel writer and a gifted letter-writer. Her work still appeals to readers who enjoy firsthand writing that is personal, curious, and full of place.