The story of my struggles: the memoirs of Ármin Vámbéry
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| Ármin Vámbéry |
Vámbéry’s memoirs are a unique record of 19th‑century Oriental studies, blending adventure travel with linguistic and cultural analysis.His life illustrates the self‑made scholar ideal, admired in Britain and America, while also exposing the challenges of recognition in his homeland.The work is valuable for students of Central Asian
From the introduction:
Authors of Autobiography are much exposed to falling into self-glorification. If I nevertheless have undertaken to write the following pages, I have done so because of the unexpectedly favourable criticism which the first two chapters of my book.
Life and Adventures of Arminius Vambdry, Written by Himself — met within England and in America. In this book, I tried to lay before the public an account of such travels and wanderings of mine as were not comprised in my first book on Central Asia, and in addition, I thought it advisable to give a few outlines of my juvenile adventures and struggles. Strange to say it was the narrative of the latter which elicited the particular interest of my readers, as I noticed from the many letters I received from the most distant parts of Europe and America.
Well, I said to myself, if such short sketches of my curious career have evoked this interest on the part of my readers, what will be the impression if I draw the picture of my whole life and of all the vicissitudes I went through from my childhood to my present old age? This is the main reason of the issue of the present volumes. Keeping in mind the Oriental proverb, " To speak of his own self is the business of the Shaitan,"
I have reluctantly touched upon many topics connected with my personality, but events are mostly inseparable from actors, and besides I have found encourage- ment in recalling the appreciation Britons and Americans are habitually ready to accord to the career of self-made men. There are besides other motives which have served as incentives to these pages.
The various stages of my life have been passed in various countries and societies, and a personal record of men and events dating from half a century back may not be without interest to the present generation. Unchecked by conventional modesty and false shame, I have related all I went through in plain and unadorned words, and if I have not concealed facts relating to my very humble origin and to the mistakes I committed, neither have I thought it necessary to leave unmentioned the result of my labours and the honours entailed by them. It is now forty years ago since I had first the honour of coming before the British public, and my desire to be thoroughly known by it may be pardoned.
Vámbéry was born as Hermann Wamberger in Szent-György, Kingdom of Hungary (now Svätý Jur, Slovakia), into a poor Jewish family. According to Ernst Pawel, a biographer of Theodor Herzl, as well as Tom Reiss, a biographer of Kurban Said, Vámbéry's original last name was Wamberger rather than Bamberger. He was raised Jewish but later became an atheist. Vámbéry was 1 year old when his father died and the family moved to Dunaszerdahely
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