芙瑞雅•斯塔剋

1893-1993，Freya Stark

英國旅行傢，生於巴黎，是二十世紀最偉大的女性旅行傢，也是最優異的旅行作傢之一。身前齣版瞭三十多本有關中東的旅行遊記，激發瞭整個世代起而追隨她。芙瑞雅的作品博學又機智，除瞭刺激的冒險外，兼以獨特的手法融入曆史背景與當地風情習俗。本書於一九三六年剛問世就成瞭暢銷書，還引起皇太後伊麗莎白女王的關注，兩人因此成瞭朋友。一九七二年受封大英帝國女勛爵士。享年一百零一歲，一九九三年逝世時，倫敦《泰晤士報》贊譽她為“最後一位浪漫旅行傢”，《紐約時報》則稱她是“無人能望其項背的旅遊傢”。

In 1934, famed British traveler Freya Stark sailed down the Red Sea, alighting in Aden, located at the tip of the Arabian peninsula. From this backwater outpost, Stark set forth on what was to be her most unforgettable adventure: Following the ancient frankincense routes of the Hadhramaut Valley, the most fertile in Arabia, she sought to be the first Westerner to locate and document the lost city of Shabwa. Chronicling her journey through the towns and encampments of the Hadhramaut, The Southern Gates of Arabia is a tale alive with sheikhs and sultans, tragedy and triumph. Although the claim to discovering Shabwa would not ultimately be Stark's, The Southern Gates of Arabia , a bestseller upon its original publication, remains a classic in the literature of travel. This edition includes a new Introduction by Jane Fletcher Geniesse, Stark's biographer.