L'esclave du pacha, suivi de Histoire de ma grand'tante by X.-B. Saintine
QR code
"L'esclave du pacha, suivi de Histoire de ma grand'tante" by X.-B. Saintine is a collection of novellas written in the mid-19th century. The first tale is an Orientalist romantic adventure centered on Baïla, a Mingrelian odalisque kept by the fearsome Djezzar-Pacha in Sivas, and a bold young Frenchman who risks everything to reach her, as observed and retold by a European narrator. The companion piece promises a more intimate, anecdotal vein, but
the overall appeal lies in Saintine’s blend of exotic setting, sentiment, and intrigue. The opening of the first novella frames the story in France, where a narrator’s orientalist friend recalls an episode from Asia Minor, then shifts to Sivas and the gardens of the pacha. We meet Baïla—lavishly described in her secluded world—her watchful servant Mariam, and Djezzar-Pacha, a brutal yet besotted ruler with a pet lion, Haïder. Saintine sketches Baïla’s path from Mingrelia to the Constantinople slave market to Djezzar’s harem, her jealousy and caprices, and the audacious appearance of a young Frenchman who slips into the forbidden gardens and survives a suspected fatal chase. As Baïla’s curiosity and longing grow, Mariam reluctantly admits contact with the foreigner, and, while the pacha is away, the man is smuggled into the palace grounds in a crate of flowers—bringing the clandestine encounter to the threshold. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Download for free
For your e-reader or reading app — Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books, Calibre etc.
Kindle → Use Send-to-Kindle
Kobo, Nook etc → Transfer via USB
Phone, tablet or computer → Open in a reading app
Other formats & older devices
There may be more files related to this item.
About this eBook
| Author | Saintine, X.-B. (Xavier-Boniface), 1798-1865 |
|---|---|
| LoC No. | 18015477 |
| Title | L'esclave du pacha, suivi de Histoire de ma grand'tante |
| Original Publication | Bruxelles: Meline, Cans et compagnie, 1845. |
| Credits | Véronique Le Bris, Laurent Vogel and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by the Library of Congress) |
| Language | French |
| LoC Class | PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese |
| Subject | French fiction -- 19th century |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 77266 |
| Release Date | Nov 18, 2025 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 246 downloads in the last 30 days. |
Project Gutenberg eBooks are always free!