‘’Through her careful translation and interpretation of the memoirs of Huda Shaarawi—Egypt’s first and foremost feminist nationalist, born more than a hundred years ago—Margot Badran presents a complex picture of a fascinating reality. Born into an upper-class family, Huda Shaarawi tells of her bitter jealousy of the brother whom all favored over her, of the limits placed on the education she craved, and of her eventual triumph as a leader of other women. In the best tradition of feminist scholarship, Margot Badran contributes substantially to our understanding of both Egyptian history and the development in Egypt of a feminist movement with roots in the harem.’’ — Hanna Papanek, Center for Asian Development Studies, Boston University. ‘’This is a moving evocation of a vanished world. Harem Years shows how a gifted and sensitive woman, brought up in seclusion but with a knowledge of French that opened a window onto European culture, gradually became aware of her own predicament and that of her sex and society. In Margot Badran’s faithful and elegant translation, Huda Shaarawi’s memoirs will have a permanent place in the literature of women’s studies and of middle eastern history.’’ — Albert Hourani, Fellow of St. Anthony’s College, Oxford University.

Huda Shaarawi (1879–1947) was among the last generation of Egyptian women to live in the segregated world of the harem. Her feminist activism grew out of her involvement in Egypt’s nationalist struggle, and led to her founding of the Egyptian Feminist Union in 1923. Margot Badran is completing a book on the history of the feminist movement in Egypt and divides her time between New York State and Cairo.