Joan of Arc.. Watch out!

Gertrude Bell. What an amazing woman! Her life accomplishments are impressive for a man, let alone for a woman prior to the women’s suffrage movement. She was a traveler, an athlete, a photographer, a writer, a poet, a Red Cross volunteer, an Oxford graduate, a politician, an archeologist, and behold! Never married. She broke the mold of what a woman of that time should be, and became an inspiration of what women could be. Bell journeyed across the barren deserts of the Middle East without the company of her own countrymen. She was directly involved with the creation of the state of Iraq when Ottoman control was removed from Baghdad, Basra and Mosul by the British in World War I. Gertrude Bell was an amazingly intelligent and independent woman and a great role model for women everywhere.

Of all of the travel accounts, I find hers to be the most entertaining and influential. The flow of her phrasing and description are poetic and her stories are absolutely engaging. When she writes of the desert, I can almost feel the sandy wind whipping past me. When describing those intimate moments around the fire, I can nearly taste the coffee and hear the guttural desert gossip. Bell’s travel narrative is beautifully written and educational. Her accounts are not only filled with adventure, but with history as well. Her dedication and passion for the productivity and economic survival of the east is immeasurable.

It is a shame that such a prominent woman had so many misfortunes throughout her life. I suppose that is the universe’s system of checks and balances. Even the most privileged and intelligent people face trials and tribulations (You can’t have everything, I guess). Of course, how boring would have been the conclusion to the life of Gertrude Bell had she died in her sleep. No, no, Suicide is much more interesting. Oh the tragedy!