Product Details
Asmahan's Secrets: Woman, War and Song

Asmahan's Secrets: Woman, War and Song
By Sherifa Zuhur

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Product Description

The great Arab singer, Asmahan was the toast of Cairo song and cinema in the 1930s, as World War II approached. A Druze princess actually named Amal al-Atrash, she came from an important clan in the mountains of Syria, but broke free from her traditional family background, left her husband, and became a public performer, a role frowned upon for women of the time. She was also rumored to be an agent for the allied forces during WWII. Through the story of Asmahan and her musical career, the reader glimpses not only aspects of the cultural and political history of Egypt and Syria between the two world wars, but also the change in attitude in the Arab world toward women as public performers on stage.


Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #1197959 in Books
  • Published on: 2001-02-01
  • Original language: English
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 247 pages

Editorial Reviews

Review
'Thoroughly researched in a charming style ... a study of an extraordinary person.' Jane Jakeman, The Independent

About the Author
Sherifa Zuhur is president of the Association for Middle East Women's Studies and Research Associate, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, University of California, Berkeley.