Eberhardt, Isabelle (1877-1904). Novelist and travel writer shaped by an unusual medley of cultural traditions, inspired mainly by colonial North Africa, where she travelled extensively between 1897 and 1904. Born in Switzerland of Russian parents, she scandalized the colonial establishment in North Africa by embracing Islamic beliefs, criticizing French rule, and masquerading as a man. Virtually all her works, such as Dans l'ombre chaude de l'Islam (1906), Notes de route: Maroc, Algérie, Tunisie (1908), Pages d'Islam (1919), and Trimardeur (1922), were published posthumously, initially by the journalist Victor Barrucand, whose editorial role has been the subject of considerable controversy; later editions are more reliable.

[Alec Hargreaves]

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