02631cam a22003253u 4500 77266 UtSlPG 20260610134805.0 m cr n 260607r20251845utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d 18015477 UtSlPG fr iso639-1 PQ Saintine, X.-B. (Xavier-Boniface), 1798-1865 L'esclave du pacha, suivi de Histoire de ma grand'tante Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg, 2025 1 online resource : multiple file formats text txt rdacontent computer c rdamedia online resource cr rdacarrier Release date is 2025-11-18 Véronique Le Bris, Laurent Vogel and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by the Library of Congress) "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.) Originally published: Bruxelles: Meline, Cans et compagnie, 1845 French fiction -- 19th century https://www.loc.gov/item/18015477/ https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/77266 117986 117986