Letters from Egypt

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A collection of writings of Lucie Duff Gordon,notable for their humour, outrage at the ruling Ottomans, and many personal stories from the people around her.

In 1862, Lucie Duff Gordon left her husband and three children in England and settled in Egypt, where she remained for the rest of her short life. Seeking respite from her tuberculosis in the dry air, she moved into a ramshackle house above a temple in Luxor, and soon became an indispensable member of the community. Setting up a hospital in her home, she welcomed all from slaves to local leaders.

Her humane, open-minded voice shines across the centuries through these letters witty, life-affirming, joyous, self-deprecating and utterly enchanted by her Arab neighbours.

' reveals a woman of courage, humour and passion.' Kathleen Frank

'She inherited from her father the judicial mind, and her fine conscience brought it to bear on herself as well as on the world Hers was the charity which is perceptive and all-embracing' George Meredith

' singularly captivating and vigorous.' Edinburgh Review

Author Bio

Lucie, Lady Duff-Gordon (24 June 1821 - 14 July 1869) was an English author and translator who wrote as Lucie Gordon. She is best known for her Letters from Egypt, 1863-1865 and Last Letters from Egypt (1875), most of which are addressed to her husband, Alexander Duff-Gordon, and her mother, Sarah Austin. Having moved in prominent literary circles in London, she contracted tuberculosis and migrated in 1861 to South Africa for health reasons. She travelled on to Egypt in 1862 where she settled in Luxor, learnt Arabic, and wrote many letters about Egyptian culture, religion and customs. Her letters are notable for humour, outrage at the ruling Ottomans, and many personal stories from the people around her.