Parmi la jeunesse russe - De Moscou au Caucase

1929
Having dreamt in vain of spending her life sailing in the South Seas, Ella Maillart finds herself in Berlin. She teaches English and pursues her interest in the cinema, working as a stunt woman in the studios where Marlene Dietrich is acting in “The Blue Angel”. She meets Russian émigrés. Twelve years after the Revolution, the Soviet regime remains an enigma. At the age of 26, Ella decides to launch herself into the unknown. She succeeds in obtaining a visa for the USSR and arrives in Moscow in 1930, in a country struck by famine and turmoil. With great freshness she records what she sees. She participates in sports activities and joins a group of young Russians travelling to remote Svanetia, crossing the Caucasus on foot through the Bakshan valley and over the Betcho pass. On return in Paris she meets, at the suggestion of Alain Gerbault, the publisher Charles Fasquelle and tells him about her adventures. He urges her to write about her trip immediately.

In French :
“Parmi la jeunesse russe”
Fasquelle Editeurs, Paris, 1932
Edipresse Livres, Lausanne, 1989
Editions Payot & Rivages, Paris, 1995, 1997, 2003

In German:
“Ausser Kurs  - Eine junge Schweizerin in der revolutionären Sovietunion”, eFeF Verlag, Zürich, 1989;
“Ausser Kurs – Die Reise einer mutigen Frau in die unendlichen Weiten Russlands”,
Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, München, 1993;
“Auf kühner Reise – Von Moskau in den Kaukasus“, Lenos Pocket, Basel, 2006

Turkestan Solo

1932
Ella Maillart travels to Russian Turkestan which the Soviet revolutionaries are attempting to westernize. On horseback, she crosses Kirghizstan as far as the T'ien Shan range (the Celestial Mountains ). With makeshift skis, she climbs a mountain of 5000 metres on the Chinese border. She explores Tashkent, Samarkand and Bokhara and travels down the Amu Daria. On a camel and in glacial winds she crosses, solo, the Desert of Red Sands to the east of the Aral Sea, avoiding dangerous checkpoints. Her account, “Des Monts célestes aux Sables rouges” appears under the title “Turkestan Solo” in English and in German.

 “Turkestan Solo - One Woman's Expedition from the Tien Shan to the Kizil Kum”:
G.P. Putnam's Sons, London, 1934; W. Heinemann, London/Toronto, 1938; and
Century Publishing, London, 1985.
I.B. Tauris, London, 2005: “Turkestan Solo – A Journey through Central Asia ”

In French :
Des Monts célestes aux Sables rouges :
Editions Bernard Grasset, Paris, 1934
Edito-Service SA, Cercle du bibliophile, Genève, 1971
Editions 24 heures, Lausanne, 1985
Edipresse Livres, Lausanne, 1987
Editions Payot & Rivages, Paris, 1990, 1991, 2001

In German :
“Turkestan Solo”, Ernst Rowohlt Verlag, Stuttgart/Berlin, 1938;
“Turkestan Solo – Eine Frau reist durch die Sowjetunion”, Edition Erdmann /
K. Thienemanns Verlag, Stuttgart, 1990;
“Turkestan Solo – Eine abenteuerliche Reise ins Ungewisse”, Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, München, 1992, und Frederking & Thaler Verlag, München, 2001

In Italian :
(Part 2 of the book only)
“Vagabonda nel Turkestan – Una donna in viaggio da Samarcanda al Deserto delle Sabbie Rosse”, EDT – Edizioni di Torino, 1995, 2002

In Dutch : 
“Toerkestan Solo”, E d. Unieboek BV, 1990

In Kyrgyz:
Тенир-Тоодон Къιзьιл-Кумга
(From Tien Shan to Kyzyl Kum)
Typap Publishers, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, 2011

In Polish :
"Od Gór Niebiańskich Do Czerwonych Piasków"
Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy, Warszawa, 2007

Forbidden Journey – From Peking to Cashmir

1935
Ella Maillart and the English journalist Peter Fleming undertake an astounding trek through some of the least known parts of the globe: From the Koko Nor to Central Asia, via the Tsaidam plateau, the Takla Makan desert, the Tarim basin, and from Kashgar across the Karakoram into Hunza. When they leave Peking, Japan is trying to crush a China devastated by civil war. With Peter Fleming, she maps out an unauthorized itinerary that no westerner seems to have followed since. The book is an account of seven risky months spent in solitary, windswept places where great civilisations once rubbed shoulders, visible to those who know how to decipher bleached bones and ancient ruins. Never again will the western provinces of China be seen in that way. The book was published in 1937 and has since been frequently reprinted, re-read and admired for the courage and talent of its author, for the accuracy of her observations and for her narrative gift.

W. Heinemann, London, 1937;
Holt Rinehart, New York, 1949;
Century Publishing, London, with an introduction by Dervla Murphy, 1983;
North-Western University Press, Evanston, Illinois, 2003.

In French :
“Oasis interdites”
Editions Bernard Grasset, Paris, 1937
Le Livre du mois, Lausanne, 1971
Editions 24 heures, Lausanne, 1982
Edipresse Livres, Lausanne. 1987
Editions Payot & Rivages, Paris, préface de Nicolas Bouvier, 1989, 1994, 2002

In German :
“Verbotene Reise - Von Peking nach Kaschmir”, Rowohlt Verlag, Berlin, 1938;
“Verbotene Reise – Eine Frau reist durch Zentralasien”, Edition Erdmann /
K. Thienemanns Verlag, Stuttgart, 1988;
“Verbotene Reise – Die Expedition einer unerschrockenen Frau durch Zentralasien" ,
Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, München, 1996;
“Verbotene Reise - Von Peking nach Kaschmir”, mit einem Vorwort von Nicolas Bouvier, Lenos Verlag, Basel, 2003

In Spanish :
“Oasis Prohibidos – De Pequin a Cachmira. Una mujer a través de Asia Central en 1935”, Ediciones Peninsula SA, Barcelona, 1999

In Italian :
“Oasi Proibite – Una donna in viaggio da Pechino al Kashmir »,
EDT – Edizioni di Torino, 2001

The Cruel Way

1939
Once again Ella Maillart is on her way to Asia, but she is not alone. Christina, with her real name Annemarie Schwarzenbach, a friend of Klaus and Erika Mann, accompanies her. She possesses exceptional charm and talent but she is a drug addict. Two courageous women, both highly original, find themselves in a difficult situation. An 18 hp Ford car takes the experienced travellers towards Afghanistan, via Istanbul, Trebizond, Tehran and Herat. They face checkpoints, poor roads, petty officials, crowds, deserts. Ella Maillart brings to her account her skill of precise observation, her taste for encounters and her affinity for the nomads, as well as her historical knowledge and the ethnological approach of a great Asia specialist. Written in English.

W. Heinemann, London, 1947
Virago Press, London, 1986
Beacon Press, Boston, 1987
University of Chicago Press, 2013

In French :
‘' La voie cruelle”
Editions Jeheber, Genève, 1952
Edipresses Livres, Lausanne, 1987
Editions Payot & Rivages, Paris, 1989, 1991, 2001

In German :
“Auf abenteuerlicher Fahrt durch Iran und Afghanistan”, Orell Füssli Verlag, Zürich, 1948;
“Flüchtige Idylle - Zwei Frauen unterwegs nach Afghanistan”, eFeF Verlag, Zürich, 1988;
und Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, München, 1995;
“Der bittere Weg - Mit Annemarie Schwarzenbach unterwegs nach Afghanistan“, Lenos Verlag, Basel, 2001

 In Swedish :
“Genom Sagans Länder”, Ed. Natur och Kultur, Stockholm, 1952

 In Dutch :
“Zo wees dan een Columbus - Met een Ford door de Woestijn”,
Ed. R epubliek der Letteren, Amsterdam, 1949

In Spanish :
"La Ruta Cruel - Un Viaje por Turquia, Persia y Afganistan”, Editorial Labor, Barcelona, 1955
"El Camino Cruel – Un Viaje por Turquia, Persia y Afghanistán con Annemarie Schwarzenbach",
Ed. La Linia del Horizonte, Madrid, 2015

In Italian :
“La Via crudele - Due donne in viaggio dall'Europa a Kabul”
EDT – Edizioni di Torino, 1993, 2002

In Portugese :
A via cruel, Livraria Civilisacao Editora, Porto, 2000
Preface by Frédéric Vitoux

In Portugese :
Livraria Civilisacao Editora, Lisbo

Gypsy Afloat

1942
We know Ella Maillart as an intrepid traveller exploring the Asian continent far and wide, crossing, in the company of Peter Fleming, a China ruled by warlords, or penetrating the most secret parts of Turkestan. In this book we meet the outstanding navigator and first woman to compete in the Olympic Games in yachting. Counting among her friends Alain Gerbault, she dreamt of a life in the South Seas as a “nomad under sail”. Arriving in England in 1923, she becomes a cabin boy on the barge-yacht Volunteer, joins her friend Miette de Saussure on the Atalante, almost drowns in the Bay of Biscay and returns to England to work as a deck-hand and mate. Clearly, choosing such a way of life was, at that time, quite extraordinary. Written in English.

W. Heinemann, London, 1942

In French :
“La vagabonde des mers”, Editions Payot & Rivages, Paris, 1991, 1992, 2002

In German :
“Vagabundin des Meeres - Die Segel-Abenteuer einer Frau”, Edition Erdmann /
Thienemanns Verlag, Stuttgart, 1991;
“Vagabundin des Meeres - Eine unerschrockene Frau auf Hoher See”, Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, München, 1993

Cruises and Caravans

1950
An autobiographical narrative commissioned by Ella Maillart's publisher during World War II. The point of departure is Lake Geneva where she first discovered sailing, to be later continued in the Mediterranean. Her passion for this sport brought Ella Maillart to become friends with Alain Gerbault. But the world of the theatre and the cinema are equally appealing to her free and enterprising mind. We meet her in 1930 in Berlin, working in the studios where Marline Dietrich is acting in “Blue Angel”, and in Moscow among film directors and oarsmen. However, the traveller gets the better of the actress, and the Caucasus opens the doors to a new continent. In 1932, she finds herself in Central Asia and crosses the Muslim republics of the USSR. The boldness of this trek, on her own and on camel back, is already on a par with the exploits she will later narrate in Forbidden Journey. Back in Switzerland, she continues to race as a member of the national skiing team. Then she returns to the Far East and comes back overland through deserts and mountains to Kashgar and Cashmir. We also accompany her to Afghanistan and to India where she spends the second World War following the teachings of Ramana Maharishi and Atmananda. Written in English.

J. M. Dent and Sons, London, 1942
The Travel Book Club, London, 1942

 In French :
“Croisères et caravanes”
Editions du Seuil, Paris, 1951
Editions de la Baconnière, Neuchâtel, 1951
Editions 24 heures, lausanne, 1984
Edipresse Livres, Lausanne, 1987
Editions Payot & Rivages, Paris, 1993, 1995, 2001

In German :
“Leben ohne Rast - Eine Frau fährt durch die Welt”, Verlag Eberhard Brockhaus, Wiesbaden, 1952

In Italian :
"Crociere e Carovane - La mia vita, i miei viaggi"
EDT - Edizione di Torino, 2006

''Ti-Puss

1940 – 1945
Do as the cat ! During her stay in South India (1940 - 1945), Ella Maillart was taught by two masters of wisdom, Ramana Maharishi and Atmananda (Krishna Menon). Far removed from a war-torn Europe, she leads a quasi-ascetic life and examines herself in her mirror: A tiger cat whom she baptizes 'Ti-Puss. The remarkable animal reveals to the traveller that there is audacity in wanting to live life in the present, in searching for the meaning of existence in one's everyday pursuits and circumstances. It is 'Ti-Puss who encourages the author to apply the spiritual lessons to the material world. “Because a cat”, says Ella Maillart, “knows how to live the fullness of the present moment.” Written in English.

W. Heinemann, London, 1951

In French :
"'Ti-Puss ou l'Inde avec ma chatte"
Editions La Tramontane, Renens / Lausanne, 1979
Edipresse Livres, Lausanne, 1990
Editions Payot & Rivages, Paris, 1992, 1996, 2002

In German :
“Ti-Puss - Drei Jahre in Südindien mit einer Katze als Kamarad”, Albert Müller Verlag, Rüschlikon / Zürich, 1954;
“Ti-Puss – Mit einer Katze in Indien”, Edition Ebersbach, Dortmund, 1998;
“Geliebte Seidenpfote - Mit einer Katze alleine durch Indien“, Piper Verlag, München, 2002

In Dutch :
Atlas Uitgeverdij BV, Amsterdam

In Italian :
“Ti-Puss”, EDT – Edizioni di Torino, 2002

The Land of the Sherpas

1951
Ella Maillart manages to obtain a rarely accorded travel permit for Nepal, last of the independent Himalayan kingdoms. Unknown and, with few exceptions, closed to foreign travellers until 1949, this country has everything to fascinate her. She spends two months in Kathmandu and undertakes a trek through the Malemtchi valley to the sacred Gosainkund lake. The resulting book, published in English only, contains texts and photographs from this journey.

Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1955

In Spanish :
La tierra de los sherpas, Thushita edicions, Barcelona, 2016

In French :
Au pays des Sherpas, Editions Zoé, Genève, 2017
Édition établie et annotée par Pierre-François Mettan

La vie immédiate

This volume presents some 200 black & white photographs taken by Ella Maillart in the course of her journeys. With texts by the travel writer Nicolas Bouvier, who describes her extraordinary life and encourages to reader to set out and discover the world in his turn.

In French
Editions Payot, Paris & Editions 24 heures, Lausanne, 1991

Ella Maillart au Népal

Based on a book project conceived by Ella Maillart, this volume includes some 100 black & white photographs taken during her travels in Nepal in 1951, 1963 and 1965. This last independent kingdom of the Himalayas was closed to foreigners until 1949. Ella Maillart found it fascinating because Nepal had preserved a culture, religion and scenery similar to those of “India a thousand years ago.”

Presented and edited by Daniel Girardin, curator at the Elysée Photo Museum, Lausanne.
In French
Editions Actes sud, Arles, 1999

Ella Maillart sur les routes de l'Orient

This volume of some 130 photographs was published on the occasion of the 100 th anniversary of Ella Maillart's birth, to accompany exhibitions held at the Elysée Photo Museum and the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland. The photographs show her career as a sportswoman as well as her journeys through Asia.

Presented and edited by Daniel Girardin, curator at the Elysée Photo Museum, Lausanne.
In French
Editions Actes sud, Arles, 2003

Bleu immortel – Voyages en Afghanistan
Unsterbliches Blau – Reisen nach Afghanistan

A bilingual book of texts and photographs from two different journeys from Geneva to Afghanistan – those of Annemarie Schwarzenbach and Ella Maillart (1939), and those by Nicolas Bouvier, who followed their itinerary in 1953. The reconstitution of the two journeys is an attempt to recreate, with the help of photographs, a world that has disappeared.

Presentation and post-script by Roger Perret, based on an exhibition on the same subject, La voie cruelle, la voie heureuse – Annemarie Schwarzenbach, Ella Maillart, Nicolas Bouvier.
Verlag Scheidegger & Spiess ( Zurich ) & Editons Zoé ( Geneva ), 2003

Ella Maillart / Nicolas Bouvier : Témoins d'un monde disparu

This “mini” book includes twenty of Ella Maillart's most remarkable photographs as well as a text written about her by the Swiss travel writer Nicolas Bouvier.

In French
Minizoé, Editions Zoé, Geneva, 2002

Cette réalisté que j'ai pourchassée

A selection of 30 letters sent by Ella Maillart to her parents between 1925 and 1941, the period of her best known journeys. Includes black & white photographs and a CD of radio interviews.

In French
Editions Zoé, Geneva, 2003 (including CD) and 2006 (without CD).

Bribes de sagesses

Brief excerpts from Ella Maillart’s books and from conversations providing an insight into her views on life, as well as quotations from authors who accompanied her quest. Illustr. with black & white photographs. 64 pages.

In French
Editions Actes sud, Collection « Le souffle de l’esprit » dirigé par Christian Dumais-Lvowski
Arles, 2007

Chandolin d'Anniviers

Texts and black & white photographs taken between 1949 and 1962 by Ella Maillart at the Swiss village of Chandolin, which had become a place of rest in the busy life of the traveller. Includes an article on Ella Maillart by Samivel. 48 pages.

In French
Published by the Association The Friends of Ella Maillart, Chandolin, July 2007

Envoyée spéciale en Mandchourie – En Asie où guettent les maîtres de demain

In 1934, the French daily Le Petit Parisien sends Ella Maillart as a special correspondent to Manchuria, renamed Manchukuo by the Japanese military who invaded this ancient Chinese province in 1932. Equipped with her Leica she takes the railway lines built by the occupyer and writes about her encounters with Mongol nomads, Japanese, Chinese, White Russians and Manchus. In Harbin, she meets Peter Fleming with whom she will later undertake their famous trek across Asia, described in Forbidden Journey.

En français
By Ella Maillart, introduction by Gilbert Etienne
Editons Zoé, Genève, 2009, 143 p., ISBN 978-2-88182-651-1. In French.
Contains 11 articles first published in 1935. Illustr. 26 b/w photographs by Ella Maillart.

In Polish :
“Wysłanniczka Specjalna do Mandżurii – w Zderzeniu z Imperium”
Editions Noir sur Blanc, Warszawa, 2012

Entretiens avec Ella Maillart : Le monde – mon héritage

Extracts of radio interviews, recorded between 1945 and 1993, and a film produced in 1973 by the Swiss Romande television provide direct contact with Ella Maillart. She recalls her youth spent in Geneva, her passion for reading and for sports, her travels, her spiritual quest and the decisive encounters she made during her life. The film, entitled Les itinéraires d’Ella Maillart, contains footage from Ella Maillart’s own films, produced in Afghanistan, India and Nepal.

En français
1 CD + 1 DVD
Coproduction RSR – TSR – Editions Zoé, 2009, ISBN 978-2-88182-656-6. In French.
For sale at Radio Suiss Romande (www.boutique.rsr.ch) and Télévision Suisse Romande (www.tsrboutique.ch), ref. no. 6236

Cette réalité que j’ai pourchassée (New enlarged edition)

In this new edition, the letters to her parents are completed with articles written for different newspapers and magazines, illustrating at the same time Ella Maillart’s occupations: Sailing on Lake Geneva, participating in archeological excavations in Crete, practising sports and climbing mountains in the U.S.S.R., reporting about conflict on the Indo-Afghan border in 1937. As well as a text marked confidential in her archives and published here for the first time: an account of a visit she paid to Winston Churchill in 1936. The book is illustrated with 35 black/white photographs.

En français
Editions Zoé, Genève, 2013

Ella Maillart – Double Journey

A documentary directed by Mariann Lewinsky (Zurich) and Antonio Bigini (Bologna), using a variety of materials from Ella Maillart’s archives: 16mm films shot during the journey from Geneva to Kabul and on to India in 1939-40, her photographs, contact sheets and texts from her travel diaries and correspondence. Accompanied by a booklet and bonus (Ella Maillart filmed by Jean Grémillon in 1926; her own version of “Nomads of the Frontier” from 1940).

In French / Italian / English, narrated by Irène Jacob / Alina Marazzi / Kate McIntosh DVD, published by Memoriav, Berne and Cineteca Bologna, 2015, 40 min. Available at Musée de l’Elysée, Lausanne and Memoriav, Berne.