Alexandra David-Néel

Louise Eugenie Alexandrine Marie David , more known under its Pen name Alexandra David-Néel , born the October 24th 1868 with Saint-Mandé (the Valley-of-Marne), dead the September 8th 1969 Worthy with (Alp-of-High-Provence), of nationalities French and Belgian, was successively or simultaneously orientalist, exploring singer of opera, journalist, writer and.

In addition to its unusual longevity (101 years), its feature of glory the most outstanding remainder to have been, in 1924, the first woman of European origin to remain with Lhassa with the Tibet ( to see photo ), exploit whose publicity was carefully orchestrated in the Années 1920 and who strongly contributed to his fame, in addition to his personal qualities and his scholarship.

Note: the name of her husband, Néel, does not decide " the Nile " , as sometimes certain people pronounce it, but " born-èl ".

1868-1904: its childhood, its youth, its voyages

Alexandra is born from a father teacher (who were militant republican at the time of the revolution of 1848, and friend of the anarchistic geographer Elisee Reclus), and from a catholic mother who asks so that it profit from an religious education. She spent her holidays with her parents to Ostend of or a day, still teenager, she flees to land in England while leaving by the port Vlissingen. It cotoya during all its childhood and its adolescence the anarchist Elisee Recluse. This one leads it to be interested in the anarchistic ideas (max Stirner, Michel Bakounine…) time and with the feminist ideas which inspired to him the publication of “for the life”. It became besides a free collaborator of “the Sling”, “feminist” newspaper created by Marguerite Durand and managed cooperatively by women, and took part in various meetings of the “National council of the French” or Italian Women. But it rejected on the other hand some of the positions held at these meetings (ex: the right to vote) preferring the fight for the emancipation at the economic level, causes essential for it misfortune of the women who cannot be independent financially. Alexandra moved away besides from these “pleasant birds, with the invaluable plumage”, in reference to these feminists coming for the majority from the high society, and forgetting the economic fight with which the majority of the women have to be confronted.

1904-1911: the married woman

The August 4th 1904, with Tunis, it marries Philippe Néel, chief engineer of the Tunisian Railroads, of which it was the mistress since the September 15th 1900. Their common life sometimes stormy, but was always impressed mutual respect. She finishes definitively the August 9th 1911 by her departure for its second voyage in India (1911-1925). For as much, the two husbands started after this separation an abundant correspondence which ceased only with the death of Philippe Néel in February 1941. It is to be noticed that it is Philippe Néel who sponsorisait his wife. Of this correspondence only the doubles of the written letters by Alexandra remain alas, the written letters by her husband seeming to be lost at the time of the tribulations of Alexandra during the Chinese civil war, in the middle of the Années 1940.

1911-1925: the tour indo-Tibetan

Alexandra David-Néel arrives at the Sikkim in 1912. She binds friendship with the sovereign of this State, Sidkéong Tulku, and visits many Buddhist monasteries to perfect her knowledge of the tantrism. In 1914, it meets in one of these monasteries the young person Aphur Yongden of which it made her adoptive son thereafter. Both decide to be withdrawn in a cave in hermitage with 3900 meters of altitude, in the North of Sikkim.

There, it is near one of largest the Gomchen S (hermits) of which it has the privilege to receive teaching and especially, it is very close to the border Tibetan, which towards and against all, it crosses twice. It penetrated even until Jigatzé, one of the more big cities of the south of the Tibet, but not yet with Lhassa, which is the prohibited capital. Because of these incartades, Alexandra was expelled of Sikkim in 1916.

As it is impossible for them to return to Europe into full World war, Alexandra and Yongden leave the country for the India then the Japan. It meets there the philosopher Ekaï Kawaguchi who, a few years rained early, succeeded in remaining eighteen months with Lhassa under a disguise of Chinese monk.

Alexandra and Yongden leave then for the Korea, then Beijing to China. From there, they choose to cross China of Is in West in company of a LAMA Tibetan. Their tour lasted several years and crossed Gobi, Mongolia, then a three years pause to the monastery of Kum-Bum in Tibet, before setting out again disguised as a beggar and monk for Lhassa which they reach in 1924. Alexandra meets Swami Asuri Kapila (Cesar Della Rosa). They remained there two months, during which they visited the Holy City and the large surrounding monasteries: Drépung, Séra, Ganden, Samyé… But Alexandra David-Néel is finally uncovered (due to too large cleanliness: she was going to wash herself each morning with the river), and denounced with Tsarong Shapé (the governor of Lhassa).

1925-1937: the European interlude

Alexandra David-Néel returns to France, traverses the Provence, then decides to fix herself at Digne in 1928, where it builds its house, Samten-Dzong (fortress of the meditation). It written several books there reporting its various voyages.

Between these various publications - always accompanied by Aphur Yongden, the faithful companion of adventures, legally become his/her adoptive son - it made great lecture tours in France and Europe.

1937-1946: the Chinese tour

In 1937, Alexandra David-Néel has sixty-nine years, and decides to set out again for China with Yongden via Brussels, Moscow and the Transsibérien. She finds herself in full Sino-Japanese war and attends the horrors of the war, the famine and the epidemics. Advertisement of died of his/her husband the key deeply. Fleeing the engagements, she wanders in China, with makeshift solutions, then ends up finding herself in 1946 in India.

1946-1969: the Lady of Worthy

Alexandra David-Néel turns over to France to regulate the succession of her husband, then starts again to write from her house of Worthy. It with the pain to lose his/her adoptive son and travelling companion Yongden in 1955.

With hundred years and half, ultimate thumb your nose, she asks for the renewal of her passport to the Prefect of the the Low-Alps.

She dies out at 101 years. Its ashes were transported to Vârânasî in 1973 by its secretary Marie-madeleine Peyronnet to be dispersed with those of his/her adoptive son in the Gange.

2006: Homage

In 2006, Priscilla Telmon pays homage to Alexandra in a moving film: In Prohibited Tibet, a film largely diffused, rewarded and being the object for many conferences.

Works of Alexandra David-Néel

Note: the titles and names of editors are those of the current editions. For a more formal bibliography, even erudite, one will refer to the official site indicated will infra .

1898 : For the life - reflections on all the facts of company (Editions “red nights”)
1906: rational feminism
1911: Buddhism of the Buddha (Editions of the Rock)
1927: Voyage of Parisian in Lhassa (Plon)
1929: Mystical and magicians of Tibet (Plon)
1930: lamaïques Initiations (Pygmalion)
1931: superhuman Life of Guésar de Ling: Iliade of the Tibetans (Editions of the Rock) - with the collaboration of the LAMA Yongden
1933: With the country of the brigand-gentlemen (Plon)
1935: the LAMA with five wisdoms (Plon)
1938: Magic of love and black magic (Plon)
1939: Buddhism: Its Doctrines and Its Methods (editor?)
1940 : Under clouds of storm (Plon)
1949: In the middle of Himalayas: Nepal (Pygmalion)
1951: Astavakra Gita - republished (nonknown date) in a single volume “ Astavakra Gita - Avadhuta Gita , poems sanscrits védantins” with the Editions of the Rock
1951: secret Lesson of the Buddhists Tibetans (Pygmalion)
1951: India yesterday, today, tomorrow

1952: Texts new Tibetans (Pygmalion)

1953: the Tibet Old man vis-a-vis in new China (Plon)

1954: Power of nothing , novel of the LAMA Yongden, translated and annotated by A.D. - NR. (Plon)

Grammar of the language spoken Tibetan

1958: Avadhuta Gita - republished (nonknown date) in a single volume “ Astavakra Gita - Avadhuta Gita , poems sanscrits védantins” with the Editions of the Rock

1958: transcendent Knowledge (Pygmalion)

1961: Immortality and reincarnation (Editions of the Rock)

India where I lived (Plon)

1964: Forty centuries of Chinese expansion (Plon)

1970: In China - universal Love and integral Individualism (Plon) - posthumous edition

1972: Magic spells of the mystery (Plon) - posthumous edition

1975: To live in Tibet: cook, traditions and images (Robert Morel editor, Apt) - posthumous edition

2000: Correspondence with his/her husband, edition integral 1904-1941 (Plon), posthumous edition, taking again two volumes published previously:

1975 : Newspaper of voyage: Letters with his/her husband, August 11th, 1904 - December 27th, 1917. Vol. 1 (ED. Marie-madeleine Peyronnet)

1976: Newspaper of voyage: Letters with his/her husband, January 14th, 1918 - December 31st, 1940. Vol. 2 (ED. Marie-madeleine Peyronnet)

Random links: