Cinderella of the Nile: One Story, Many Voices Series

Product Information

Narriman's dress was an absolute stand out—and for good reason. Seamstresses delicately sewed a stunning 20,000 diamonds sewn onto the fabric. And that wasn't all. It seems like Narriman couldn't decide whether she preferred diamonds or pearls—so she decided to have both. The queen wore an extravagant crown of pearls on her newly-royal head. Cinderella of the Nile is a story that crosses ages – children across the primary age range will enjoy and become entranced by this timeless tale. Cinderella of the Nile is introduced to the reader as the earliest known version of the fairytale. It tells the story in an alternative manner due to the different cultural settings of Greece and Egypt being explored as opposed to the typical western setting. Narriman really succeeded in keeping her life private after she married Dr. Fahmi. There is no account of her marriage, and neither she nor Fahmi talked to the press or to anyone who would blab. It does seem though that she was happy and Fahmi genuinely cared for her well-being. Sadly, Narriman’s troubles didn’t end, despite her loving husband. We have all read the story of Cinderella, and the story continues to be adapted in many different ways, however, how many of us have looked at the different Cinderellas that come from all over the world. In this story, Beverley Naidoo looks to Egypt. In this story, Beverley Naidoo adapts a story told 2,000 years ago and brings in the distinct features of the traditional Cinderella story.

Age 7- 10 In this beautifully illustrated retelling of one of the earliest versions of Cinderella a young girl from Ancient Greece, Rhodopis, is kidnapped and taken as a slave to the island of Samos. Here she makes friends with the famous storyteller Aesop and his stories help her remain strong and resilient when she is sold on to another owner in Egypt. She is treated kindly by her Egyptian master who favours her, even giving her a pair of red slippers. However three sisters, servants in the household are jealous and mean to her. Echoes of the European version of Cinderella continue with invitations to a feast from the Pharaoh, a missing slipper, a search for its owner and a poor girl becoming Queen. This story gives lots to talk about in the story and wonderful illustrations. Children will be able to make comparisons with the European version of the story and explore the references to Aesop and aspects of the Ancient Greece and Egypt world including slavery and Gods and Goddesses. One of the king’s stipulations for Narriman was decidedly unromantic. He wanted her to lose weight before the wedding. Her diet in Rome accordingly helped her achieve her fiancé's desired weight of 110lbs. Farouk, meanwhile, weighed around 300. Girls, take note: If he has issues with the way you look, just dump him. Even if he happens to be king.Though her time with Farouk was incredibly short, it haunted Narriman for the rest of her life—all because of the terrible choice he forced her to make: He agreed to a divorce—on the condition that their son stayed with him. She could either stay with her cruel husband and see her baby son, or she could leave the King—and abandon her child. The pen and ink illustrations in my edition were by Ben Kutcher, born in Kiev around 1895 but whose family emigrated to the USA in 1902. My mother's grandparents had also emigrated from the Russian Empire but came to England. From there her parents made the colonial journey to Johannesburg where she was born... and where I would be born during the Second World War. Widening my vision The tale begins with Rhodopis, the beautiful main character and the Cinderella of the story, being stolen from her home country to be transported away and sold as a slave. Rhodopis, being parted from her family, is left extremely unhappy. During this lonely time, she befriends the local animals and another slave, Aesop, who is well respected by the master because of his mesmerizing storytelling. However, Rhodopis does not remain there but is sold on because she is never seen smiling when in the presence of her master. Her new master seems to favour Rhodopis meaning she is granted privileges as well as gifted with a pair of divine red slippers, stirring jealousy amongst the other slaves. One day when she is washing clothes down at the Nile, Horus the Falcon-God swoops down and steals one of her slippers. The slipper is later dropped and falls into the hands of Pharaoh Amasis. He begins the search to locate the owner of this mysterious slipper as believes that Horus has given him a sign. Many women gather to try on the slipper but none of them are a suitable match. Rhodopis, discovered hiding behind a bush after setting free a trapped kingfisher, catches the pharaoh's attention and is given the chance to try on her shoe which fits perfectly. Pharaoh Amasis falls in love with Rhodopis' kindness as well as her beauty. Despite their difference in status, Rhodopis is made queen and begins her life with the pharaoh.

Naturally Narriman had a wedding ceremony fit for a queen. The king’s forces marked the day with celebrations on ground, in air, and on sea. There were parades, fireworks, dances, and songs to make it an event to remember. A convoy of Cadillacs and Rolls-Royces brought the bride to the ceremony, traveling through heart-shaped pink neon arches, embellished with F & N for Farouk and Narriman.

42. Her Husband Cared For Her

She did come home after she got better, but not for long. A few months later she went into a coma and never woke up. After ten days in the hospital, she passed on February 16, 2005, at the age of 75. In Cinderella of the Nile, I retell our earliest known version of the tale, recorded by ancient Greek historians. A girl called Rhodopis, in 6th century BC, is captured in northern Greece and sold into slavery. Herodotus writes about her friendship with a fellow slave Aesop in Samos. It may have broken her heart, but Narriman stayed firm in her decision. Perhaps she hoped Farouk would relent, or the law would help her see the child regularly. Unfortunately, she couldn't have been more wrong. Narriman and the doctor simply couldn't see eye to eye. She would travel to faraway places like Switzerland, while he would file lawsuits demanding that she come home and behave like an "obedient" wife. At one point, Narriman made it clear that she wanted to split— only for her husband to publish their dirty laundry in a newspaper. He printed a notice declaring that he'd never submit to a divorce. Yikes.

For starters, King Farouk was looking for a purely Egyptian bride, who had no Turkish or Syrian ancestors. Apart from that, his new wife also had to be Muslim, a virgin, and, in an effort to curry favor with his people, she should not belong to the aristocracy. Well, 16-year-old Narriman certainly fit the bill. And for bonus points, she was also beautiful, polite, and charming. It seemed like a perfect match. Emphasis on "seemed." Farouk inherited his father’s title and throne at the young age of 16, mere months after he left the palace to study in England. Upon his father's passing, he returned to Egypt to fulfill his duties as king, but he had no experience of what that entailed, and no understanding of how to win his people’s hearts. Although Egyptians wanted to think kindly of Farouk, he began to lose favor once the people realized he only cared about himself and his own hedonistic lifestyle. In this story, ‘Cinderella’ is A girl named Rhodopis which comes from "rosy-cheeked" in Greek, she is celebrated for her beauty and like all good fairytale princesses, she is kind and gentle. She later gets captured, enslaved, and then sold off in Egypt. Rhodopis is bought by a Greek who takes pity on her and treats her as a daughter, the three Egyptian sisters who also serve as servants in his house (another feature of Cinderella) become jealous of Rhodopis and don’t treat her well. It is not until later that Cinderella and her prince come together. Re-told by award winning and influential children’s author Beverley Naidoo, this version of Cinderella supports learning around traditional tales. With clear links to ancient Greece and ancient Egypt, children will discover how one story can have many iterations around the world and throughout history. Alongside historical themes, the book could be used as a platform for discussions around human rights, enslavement and justice. Links and themes:Splendidly illustrated by award-winning Iranian artist Marjan Vafaeian, this is the first in Tiny Owl’s series One Story, Many Voices. I still have my childhood copy of the Blue Fairy Book with its ‘Cinderella and The Little Glass Slipper’. It’s the version with the fairy godmother and the pumpkin, first written in French by Charles Perrault in 1697. A small label inside the cover shows that it was bought for me at the ‘People’s Bookshop’ in Johannesburg, the city where I grew up. The book was published in London in 1949 and my copy must have travelled soon afterwards on a boat to South Africa.

It isn’t common knowledge, but it is possible that Narriman had feelings for someone else. She may have had a crush on one of her classmates named Salah Shaarawi. Instead of a short doctor, he was a good-looking officer—equal in rank to a captain—when he asked Narriman’s uncle to test the waters with her parents and see if they'd let him marry their daughter. Even though she’d lived almost completely isolated from the world after her third marriage, she hardly left the house during the last three years of her life. The reason was mostly physical: She fell in the bathroom and broke her leg in 2002. Two years later, towards the end of 2004, she got pneumonia and had to stay in the hospital for a few weeks. In this earliest known version of Cinderella, a rosy-cheeked girl called Rhodopis is captured in the mountains of Greece. She is sold in Samos, where wise storyteller Aesop befriends her.

Seeing her sing and dance to herself, Charaxos gifts Rhodopis a pair of delicate slippers for her feet, but one is stolen by the god Horus, in his form as a falcon. Horus drops the slipper in front of the Pharoah at his palace at Memphis, who takes it as a sign and decrees that the owner of the slipper must be found. In accordance with the familiar version of the tale, the Pharoah finds Rhodopis to be the owner of the slipper and marries her. You can’t blame a 16-year-old for being attracted to tall, dark, and handsome men rather than nerdy doctors—and Narriman was no different. She didn’t find her new beau attractive, specifically shading him for being short. In a salty dig, she referred to her betrothed as the “small Zaki Hashim” and compared him unfavorably to a “small school teacher.” However, there might have been another, more reasonable motive for her Already depressed at losing her father, Narriman began to worry that the King had lost interest in her. Instead of repenting his past actions and appreciating Narriman for standing by him, Farouk continued his hedonistic lifestyle of splurging and womanizing all the time. But the worst part: He hurt his bride, both emotionally and physically, several times. After this, Narriman realized that nothing would change. The royal couple separated and soon, the young queen asked for a divorce. Unfortunately, when Narriman finally accepted an interview request, the journalist seemed much more interested in her ex-husband than Narriman herself. Eventually, the poor woman simply asked, “We have spoken much about King Farouk…What about Narriman?” Perhaps that sums her life best: People remembered her as Farouk’s second wife although she only lived two out of her 75 years in the world with him.