Record Number: 30789

---

Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'Long long evening — the children played Corelli's sonatas, I read "Guerre et Paix", felt dreadfully depressed.'

Century:

1850-1899

Date:

8 Aug 1895

Country:

Austria

Time

evening

Place:

city: near Innsbruck
specific address: unspecified hotel or 'pension'
location in dwelling: probably sitting room

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

---

Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Gertrude Bell

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Female

Date of Birth:

16 Jul 1868

Socio-Economic Group:

Gentry

Occupation:

Oxford graduate, language student, yet to take up formal occupation as archaeologist and political advisor

Religion:

Christian (Anglican) later declared herself atheist

Country of Origin:

England

Country of Experience:

Austria

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

n/a

Additional Comments:

n/a

---

Text Being Read:

Author:

Leo Tolstoy

Title:

War and Peace

Genre:

Fiction

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

Not known which French translation was read

Provenance

unknown

---

Source Information:

Record ID:

30789

Source - Manuscript:

Other

Information:

Gertrude Bell Archive, Newcastle University Library University http://www.gerty.ncl.ac.uk

Additional Information:

Diary entry 8 August 1895. http://www.gerty.ncl.ac.uk/diary_details.php?diary_id=1594

Citation:

Gertrude Bell Archive, Newcastle University Library University http://www.gerty.ncl.ac.uk, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=30789, accessed: 28 March 2025

---

Additional Comments:

None