Record Number: 33641
Reading Experience:
Evidence:
Last night M. Besse read Anatole France—the charming tale of Celestin and Amicus, the hermit and the fawn.
Century:1900-1945
Date:26 Dec 1934
Country:Yemen
Timeevening
night
city: Aden
county: Yemen
(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:Male
Date of Birth:26 Jun 1877
Socio-Economic Group:Professional / academic / merchant / farmer
Occupation:Merchant
Religion:Christian
Country of Origin:France
Country of Experience:Yemen
Listeners present if any:e.g family, servants, friends
n/a
Additional Comments:
n/a
Text Being Read:
Author: Title:'Amycus et Celestin'
Genre:Fiction
Form of Text:Print: Book
Publication Detailsn/a
Provenanceunknown
Likely read aloud in French rather than in English translation
Source Information:
Record ID:33641
Source:Freya Stark
Editor:n/a
Title:The Coast of Incense: Autobiography, 1933-1939
Place of Publication:London
Date of Publication:1953
Vol:n/a
Page:46
Additional Comments:
n/a
Citation:
Freya Stark, The Coast of Incense: Autobiography, 1933-1939, (London, 1953), p. 46, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=33641, accessed: 09 May 2025
Additional Comments:
Sir Antonin Besse (1877-1951) was a French merchant resident in Yemen who would later found St Anthony's College in Oxford. Dame Freya Madeline Stark (31 Jan 1893 - 9 May 1993) was a British explorer and travel writer. This reading experience took place on Boxing Day in Aden. Stark was ill with cholera at the time.