The Nomad: The Diaries of Isabelle Eberhardt is a collection of the diaries entries of Eberhardt, chronicling her life's journey.
Isabelle Eberhardt, as a young woman, travelled extensively in the area of North Africa. Fluent in German, Arabic, Latin, and many other languages, she found it easy to get around and to get to know the people in each area she visited.
Part of the book describes how Eberhardt travelled across the Saharan desert disguised as an Arab man. She did, in fact, look and act like a man of the time, including the fact that she took drugs and drank alcohol. Travelling mostly by horse, Eberhardt also rode camels for their ease of use in dry Arab climates, and sometimes walked by foot.
Eberhardt did read and believe in the Quran, but went against many of its core values. She had sex with men without marrying them, and continued to take drugs. Disguised as a man, however, no one seemed to question her morality, and she experienced a great amount of freedom.
Because of her large amount of travelling and positive reviews on her ability to write, Eberhardt became a media advisor and mediator for the press in Europe. Going from Europe back to Africa was quite a common routine for her, and she never really stayed in one place.
Eberhardt was said to be inspired to write by her family and her desire for rebellion. She mentions her favorite writer is Dostoevsky.
