Restless Women Travelers: Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (aristocrat, poet, Lady President)

To commemorate the books in this summer's Restless Women Travelers series—(re)introducing you to great travel narratives by women—we'll be exploring some fascinating works from around the world that we’ve rediscovered. This week, we highlight Lady Mary Wortley Montagu’s Turkish Embassy Letters.

The Turkish Embassy Letters by Mary Wortley Montagu are an excellent place to start our exploration. Considered a classic work not just of women’s travel writing but of cultural commentary as a whole, the book influenced and inspired future generations of European women travelers to explore the East.

Lady Mary Wortley Montagu traveled to Turkey with her husband in 1716, when he was appointed British ambassador to the Sublime Porte of the Ottoman Empire. Over the course of about two years, she wrote an extraordinary series of letters to family, friends, and (often royal) acquaintances in England,  that detailed her experiences as she traveled through Europe and eventually settled in Turkey. Lady Montagu was particularly interested in writing about her impressions of the women she encountered on her journey; these descriptions are essential, given that our records of the time are overwhelmingly male-centric. Lady Montagu herself was very aware of the need to provide an alternative to the male perceptions of the Orient. Here is an excerpt from a letter in which she discusses the position of women in Turkish society, especially as compared to women in Western cultures:

I could also, with very little trouble, turn over Knolles and Sir Paul Rycaut, to give you a list of Turkish emperors; but I will not tell you what you may find in every author that has writ of this country. I am more inclined, out of a true female spirit of contradiction, to tell you the falsehood of a great part of what you find in authors; as, for instance, in the admirable Mr Hill, who so gravely asserts, that he saw, in Sancta Sophia, a sweating pillar, very balsamic for disordered heads. There is not the least tradition of any such matter; and I suppose it was revealed to him in vision, during his wonderful stay in the Egyptian catacombs; for I am sure he never heard of any such miracle here. 'Tis also very pleasant to observe how tenderly he and all his brethren voyage-writers lament the miserable confinement of the Turkish ladies, who are perhaps more free than any ladies in the universe, and are the only women in the world that lead a life of uninterrupted pleasure, exempt from cares; their whole time being spent in visiting, bathing, or the agreeable amusement of spending money, and inventing new fashions. A husband would be thought mad, that exacted any degree of economy from his wife, whose expences are no way limited but by her own fancy. 'Tis his business to get money, and hers to spend it: and this noble prerogative extends itself to the very meanest of the sex. Here is a fellow that carries embroidered handkerchiefs upon his back to sell. And as miserable a figure as you may suppose such a mean dealer, yet, I'll assure you, his wife scorns to wear any thing less than cloth of gold; has her ermine furs, and a very handsome set of jewels for her head. 'Tis true, they have no places but the bagnios, and these can only be seen by their own sex; however, that is a diversion they take great pleasure in.

In our Restless Women Travelers series, we will celebrate and (re)introduce you to some of the most important travelogues written by women, from Frances Trollope’s colonial voyage to the contemporary jungle treks of Kira Salak. Make sure to look through our list of upcoming titles to find the travel tale that will inspire you to be restless this summer!

On Sunday, June 22, we'll be hosting a very special book launch for the first title in our series, Edith Wharton's A Motor-Flight Through France. The event will take place at The Mount—Edith Wharton's gorgeous home in the Berkshires. Beginning at 5:30, we'll have a short reading, conversation, and cocktails on the patio overlooking Wharton's gardens, with fellow readers, writers, and travelers. We hope to see you there!

*“Lady President” was Lady Mary Wortley Montagu’s first pseudonym as a published writer.

This Week We're...

Reading

At the risk of sounding insufferably pretentious, this week I want to write about a book of Greek poetry that my father brought me as a gift on his last visit to New York. The collection is titled “Αποκυρηγμένα” (“Disavowed”), and consists of celebrated Greek poet Constantine Cavafy’s early poems and translations; these were published in his youth, but are never included in his formal body of work. Cavafy is primarily known and celebrated for his historical poems, which  often portray heroes of antiquity or of the Hellenistic era in their decline. It was fascinating to see how Cavafy began to develop his distinct voice, draw inspiration from historical subjects, and build on the use of subtle, dry irony in these very early, and often not quite polished works. While this particular collection is not (as far as I know) available in translation, I would wholeheartedly recommend one of the many editions of his complete poems in English.

The Collected Poems: with parallel Greek text (Oxford World’s Classics)

The Complete Poems of Cavafy (Mariner Books)

Complete Poems (Knopf)

C. P. Cavafy: Collected Poems (Princeton University Press)

and many more.

–Alex Sarrigeorgiou

Listening

Northern Woodlands, one of my favorite magazines, delivered me a link to this recording in a recent newsletter. Bartolomäus Traubeck has made a record, Years, that features seven different Austrian trees. The music comes from their yearly ring data being “translated” (as Traubeck would describe it) into the language of music. His one-of-a-kind record player uses a PlayStation Eye Camera and a stepper motor attached to its control arm to relay information to a computer with Ableton Live, which synthesizes piano lines.

This particular track is from an ash, whose sound is a poignant one for this rural New Englander, especially given another item that came in the newsletter: the announcement that yet another emerald ash borer infestation has been reported in New Hampshire.

–Jack Saul

Learning

A social media campaign celebrating multiculturalism and diversity in reading launched at the beginning of May, and has since, in technical industry terms, "gone viral." The creators of #WeNeedDiverseBooks were initially inspired by recent complaints about the homogeneity of children's books, but have identified a similar, larger pattern across all literature. Mobilizing a host of writers, editors, and readers to explain why they need diverse books, the campaign has been extremely successful in raising awareness about this important issue. We can only hope that this call to action results in an outpouring of diverse new writing–for starters, the New York Public Library has put together a list of their favorite children's books that fit the bill. 

–Brinda Ayer

Restless Women Travelers: An Introduction

As we gear up for the summer months, travel seems to be on everyone’s mind. The Los Angeles Times recently posted a list of exciting road novels by female writers, and we were happy to see that A Motor-Flight Through France by Edith Wharton was prominently featured—just in time for our new edition of the book, introduced by Lavinia Spalding.

In our Restless Women Travelers series, we  will celebrate and (re)introduce you to some of the most important travelogues written by women, from Frances Trollope’s colonial voyage to America, to the modern-day jungle treks of Kira Salak. Check out our list of upcoming titles to find the travel tale that will inspire you to be restless this summer!

Over the next few weeks, we will be featuring some fascinating works from around the world that we’ve read, re-read, or unearthed during the editorial process. Follow our journey right here on the Restless Blog, and join the conversation in the comments.

A Motor-Flight Through France

by Edith Wharton

Introduction by Lavinia Spalding

Buy it now from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Kobo.

A trailblazer among American women at the turn of the century, Edith Wharton set out in the newly invented "motor-car" to explore the cities and countryside of France. As the Whartons embark on three separate journeys through the country in 1906 and 1907, accompanied first by Edith’s brother, Harry Jones, and then by Henry James, Edith is enamored by the freedom that this new form of transport has given her. With a keen eye for architecture and art, and the engrossing style that would later earn her a Pulitzer Prize in fiction, Wharton writes about places that she previously “yearned for from the windows of the train."

Four Corners: A Journey into the Heart of Papua New Guinea

by Kira Salak

Pre-order now from Amazon, Apple, or Barnes and Noble.

Four Corners is Kira Salak's riveting account of her epic, solo jungle trek across the remote Pacific island nation of Papua New Guinea—often called the last frontier of adventure travel. Traveling by dugout canoe and on foot, confronting the dangers and wonders of a largely untouched world, she became the first woman to traverse this remote country and write about it. A New York Times Notable Travel Book, Four Corners: A Journey into the Heart of Papua New Guinea is a must-read for world travelers and adventurous spirits. 

Domestic Manners of the Americans 

by Frances Trollope

Introduction by Sara Wheeler

Pre-order now from Amazon, Apple, or Barnes and Noble.

In 1832, three years before Alexander de Tocqueville published Democracy in America, the English novelist Frances Trollope released Domestic Manners of the Americans, an eye-opening record of her travels in the young republic. Expecting a Utopia of “justice and liberty for all,” she is shocked to discover the contradictions at the heart of the American character. Funny and fearless, Trollope’s biting critique became an international sensation. Yet, as Mark Twain remarked, "She was merely telling the truth and this indignant nation knew it.” 

Letters Written in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark

by Mary Wollstonecraft

Introduction by Joanna Kavenna

Pre-order now from Amazon, Apple, or Barnes and Noble.

The impetus behind Mary Wollstonecraft’s journey through Scandinavia couldn’t be more dramatic: Her relationship with her lover on rocky ground, Wollstonecraft sets out for Scandinavia in order to retrieve a stolen treasure ship for him. As she travels across the dramatic landscape, she writes vividly of the people she encounters, events she witnesses, and the sublime natural landscape. Yet the letters also reflect her anguish as she comes to realize that her love affair is fated to end. Letters Written from Sweden, Norway, and Denmark is an arresting travel book, a deeply personal memoir, and a provocative, philosophical exploration of identity and politics.