Fanny Parks
Fanny Parks (* 1794 ; † 1875 ; also Fanny Parkes ) was a British travel writer .
life and work
As the daughter of an army officer and the wife of a government official, Fanny Parks lived for 24 years (1822–1846) in Allahabad / India and during this time traveled across the subcontinent on horseback and in her own ship, since, as she said, her husband “in India Winter was unbearable ”. After returning home (1850), she published the travel diary with sketches originally intended for her mother.
The former beauty, which was described as "incredibly fat" (Emily Eden) as early as 1835, was considered lively, but also eccentric. She played the sitar , spoke and wrote Urdu , the Persian-influenced language of northern India, and was critical of British rule.
During her visit to the British official William Henry Sleeman in Jabalpur / Madhya Pradesh, India, in 1830, she witnessed how the bodies of Thag victims were discovered in the wells and how the interrogations and executions took place. In 1844 she also visited the temple of the Thags near Mirzapur. She also drew sketches on site and commented on them.
Her book, which earned her literary fame, is “a feast of anecdotes, stories, descriptions and insights” and gives, among other things, a vivid insight into the normally closed world of Indian women; it is therefore also a classic in women's literature .
Individual evidence
Quotes
- "Wandering around with a good tent and a good Arabian horse - this is how you can be happy in India for all time!" - Wanderings, chapter 51
- “A porter said to me, 'You can't drink the water here. Haven't you heard the copper pot hit a corpse in the well below - bump-bump ? '"Wanderings, Chapter 13 (1830). - The Thags often threw their victims into the wells in the north of the country.
literature
- Wanderings of a Pilgrim in Search of the Picturesque, during four-and-twenty years in the East; with Revelations of Life in the Zenāna . Illustrated with Sketches from Nature. 2 volumes, Richardson, London 1850. Reprint: 2 volumes, Manoharlal, Delhi around 1990.
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Parks, Fanny |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Parkes, Fanny |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | English travel writer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1794 |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1875 |