Huda shaarawi memoirs of an imaginary

Translated by Margot Badran

In this firsthand account of the private world of a harem in colonial Cairo, Shaarawi recalls her childhood and early adult life in the seclusion of an upper-class Egyptian household, including her marriage at age thirteen.

Her subsequent separation from her husband gave her time for an extended formal education, as well as an unexpected taste of independence. Shaarawi's feminist activism grew, along with her involvement in Egypt's nationalist struggle, culminating in 1923 when she publicly removed her veil in a Cairo railroad station, a daring act of defiance.

"Through her careful translation and interpretation of the memoirs of Huda Shaarawi—Egypt's first and foremost feminist nationalist, born more than a hundred years ago—Margot Badran presents a complex picture of a fascinating reality.

Born into an upper-class family, Huda Shaarawi tells of her bitter jealousy of the brother whom all favored over her, of the limits placed on the edu