Record Number: 33574
Reading Experience:
Evidence:
'As we sat waiting for dinner and discussing religion, our first hostile impressions were gradually smoothed away. I recited the opening chapter of the Quran and proved myself less ignorant than had been supposed: a translation of the Lord's Prayer established the essential unity of religion, to the satisfaction even of the thin little Mirza from Medina: and a short discussion on history produced out of the bottom of a chest a Persian translation of Sir John Malcolm's 'History of Persia', which the Agha studies on winter evenings.'
Century:1900-1945
Date:Between 1 Jan 1931 and 31 Dec 1931
Country:Persia
Timeevening
night
city: Rud Barak
county: Mazandaran Province
specific address: House of the Kurdish Agha of Rud Barak
(Reader):
silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown
(Listener):
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown
Reader / Listener / Reading Group:
Reader: Age:Adult (18-100+)
Gender:Female
Date of Birth:31 Jan 1893
Socio-Economic Group:Professional / academic / merchant / farmer
Occupation:Travel writer
Religion:Christian
Country of Origin:England
Country of Experience:Persia
Listeners present if any:e.g family, servants, friends
n/a
Additional Comments:
n/a
Text Being Read:
Author: Title:Koran
Genre:Other religious, read earlier and recited from memory in Classical Arabic
Form of Text:Unknown
Publication Detailsn/a
Provenanceunknown
Source Information:
Record ID:33574
Source:Freya Stark
Editor:n/a
Title:The Valley of the Assassins and other Persian Tales
Place of Publication:London
Date of Publication:1934
Vol:n/a
Page:258
Additional Comments:
Pagination is from the 2001 Modern Library edition. The book was first published by John Murray in London in 1934.
Citation:
Freya Stark, The Valley of the Assassins and other Persian Tales, (London, 1934), p. 258, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=33574, accessed: 19 April 2024
Additional Comments:
Dame Freya Madeline Stark, Mrs Perowne, (31 January 1893 – 9 May 1993) was a British explorer and travel writer. The recitation of the first chapter of the Qu'ran (Surah Al-Fatiha) was from memory and in Classical (Qu'ranic) Arabic. Stark had read and memorised this verse (one that would have been known by heart by all her listeners in the Agha's house).
