Pat Shipman: To the Heart of the Nile

"The nubile girls would be sold in January 1859." So begins this lively biography of a courageous Hungarian woman. When Florence Szasz was a small child, her family was killed during the Hungarian revolution, and she was taken from a refugee camp to be raised in an Ottoman Empire harem. The harem was full of girls who had been kidnapped or bought, and were being raised to be sold as virginal concubines or slaves.

It was not until the day of the auction that Florence, then 14, realised she was to be sold. Fortunately for her, a rich English explorer was there, despite his opposition to slavery. Samuel Baker was taken with this proud girl, found himself unexpectedly in possession of her, and equally unexpectedly, they fell in love.

Europeans were mapping the upper reaches of the Nile at the time. Baker longed for more adventure, and found in Florence a plucky girl who was keen to be his travel companion. They made two journeys up the Nile in the 1860s and 70s, each lasting about four years, and discovered Lake Albert, for which Sam was knighted.

These travels make up the bulk of the book, and the author writes evocatively of their adventures and trials: the scorching desert heat, hostile tribes and wild animals, inhospitable jungles and marshes, mutinous porters, hunger, sickness and death amongst their party.

Pat Shipman is an anthropologist whose previous books have focused on human origins and palaeontology. Here she fleshes out her thorough research with imagined thoughts and dialogue, which make for vivid characters and a narrative akin to an historical novel, although at times the style is overblown and sentimental. It is unfortunate that there are no references in the text to the extensive notes at the back of the book.

The author portrays Florence as a shrewd and intelligent woman whose knowledge of Arabic and familiarity with Arabic and African cultures (from the harem) make a large contribution to the success of their travels.

Florence can ride a horse and shoot an animal — or an ambushing tribesman — if she has to.

On the second trip Sam was charged with eradicating the slave trade along the White Nile. It was a huge task, but he made great inroads at least for a time. There is much detail about this fascinating period of history, but the author sticks to the biography and misses the
opportunity to put slavery in a wider, global context. Similarly, she doesn't include much discussion of the status of women, beyond Florence's position.

Florence and Sam eventually married and buried rumours of Florence's past before returning to England, where they were hailed as heroes. Florence was feted as the devoted wife who followed her husband through thick and thin, but Queen Victoria refused to receive her at court, having heard rumours of intimacy before marriage.

This biography suffers from a lack of material directly from the subject herself.

Although Florence's diaries are quoted occasionally, there are many more quotes from the diaries, letters and books of her more prolific husband. The book is subtitled Florence Baker's Extraordinary Life from the Harem to the Heart of Africa, and the author has clearly made an effort to see things from Florence's point of view. But Sam inevitably looms large and often.

This is really a joint biography, a story of lifelong love and devotion and epic adventure that makes for a great read; expect to see it made into a lush period drama for TV.

Corgi Books
$29.95

* Philippa Jamieson is a Dunedin writer.