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by Olivier Lebleu (Author), Cynthia T. Hahn (Translator)
This engaging account traces the remarkable history of France's first giraffe, a gift from an Egyptian Pasha to King Charles X in 1826. "Zarafa," who was taken by boat from Egypt to Marseille and walked all the way to Paris, drew vast crowds, epitomizing European reactions to the exotic "other" in times of great social change.
Author Biography
A writer, novelist, and translator from La Rochelle, France, where Zarafa has been preserved in a local museum, Olivier Lebleu has researched and written about the "first giraffe of France" for fifteen years. This book is a translation of his celebrated history, Les Avatars de Zarafa (Arléa, 2006), later followed by his play, Le Talisman de la Girafe (Amok, 2017). Cynthia T. Hahn is professor of French at Lake Forest College, Illinois. A published poet, she has translated ten novels, collections of short stories, and volumes of poetry by Algerian, French, and Lebanese authors.
