Elizabeth Gowing gave an insightful and thoroughly researched talk about the little known Edith Durham, pre-modern female scholar, adventuress, artist, writer, curator, adventuress and humanitarian. She was potentially he first English person, let alone a woman, to travel areas of what was then wild corner of Europe, unknown to her own countrymen and women. Once approached by the King of Albania to represent the country in an exhibition in London, she started on the road to becoming a respected authority of the area, writing often for the Anthropology journal 'Man', and eventually Vice President of the Royal Anthropology Institute.
She came to be known as the 'Mother of the Albanians', for her work as a nurse running relief shelters during the Balkans War 1912-1913.A Florence Nightingale type figure, there is no blue plaque marking her name on the Hampstead house she shared with her ill mother, which stands in direct contrast to the many street signs and schools named after her in her beloved Albania. Elizabeth Gowing herself experienced local people commenting that her questions about their customs, 'was much like Edith Durham', a reference Gowing followed up when she returned to England.
She exists in the consciousness of the Balkans people, but few people, including myself, had ever heard of this stout and determined Englishwoman. Unconventional for her time, her family assumed that she was gay, however there is no evidence in regards to her sexuality. There are only nine known pictures of her in existence.
After returning from a country she had fallen in love with, and trying to cope with the realities of London life without intense experiences, Elizabeth Gowing discovered a kindred spirit in Durham, When Gowing returned to the Balkans but with a 'new friend' to to take on the journey with her. The result was, 'Edith and I: On the trail of an Edwardian traveller in Kosovo'.Unlike a traditional biography, 'Edith and I' is written instead like a detective story, following Durham's foot steps through Kosovo.
You can find out more about Durham on Gowing's website: www.elizazbethgowing.com
She came to be known as the 'Mother of the Albanians', for her work as a nurse running relief shelters during the Balkans War 1912-1913.A Florence Nightingale type figure, there is no blue plaque marking her name on the Hampstead house she shared with her ill mother, which stands in direct contrast to the many street signs and schools named after her in her beloved Albania. Elizabeth Gowing herself experienced local people commenting that her questions about their customs, 'was much like Edith Durham', a reference Gowing followed up when she returned to England.
She exists in the consciousness of the Balkans people, but few people, including myself, had ever heard of this stout and determined Englishwoman. Unconventional for her time, her family assumed that she was gay, however there is no evidence in regards to her sexuality. There are only nine known pictures of her in existence.
After returning from a country she had fallen in love with, and trying to cope with the realities of London life without intense experiences, Elizabeth Gowing discovered a kindred spirit in Durham, When Gowing returned to the Balkans but with a 'new friend' to to take on the journey with her. The result was, 'Edith and I: On the trail of an Edwardian traveller in Kosovo'.Unlike a traditional biography, 'Edith and I' is written instead like a detective story, following Durham's foot steps through Kosovo.
You can find out more about Durham on Gowing's website: www.elizazbethgowing.com
Fascinating character. History is filled with these now almost unknown, forgotten figures.
ReplyDeleteYes, I would agree with you. She is really interesting, and I have encountered a lot of figures from history that are forgotten. I like exploring the 'forgotten people', perhaps I am not alone in this particular interest.
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