Alice Poulleau


Alice Marguerite Marie Poulleau was a French geographer, historian and poet who wrote extensively about the Middle East and other travels.

Biography

Poulleau was born 22 December 1885 in Nolay in Côte-d'Or, France, and died 20 November 1960 in Nolay. Her parents were Jean Sébastien Poulleau and Marie Maurice.
In 1913 and 1914 she studied in Paris to become a "professor of letters," and during the First World War, she worked as a nurse at the Temporary Hospital No. 71, housed in the premises of the former school, Lycée Carnot in Dijon. During her time there, Poulleau created an album of photographs showing people and events that took place during her service there. The album is preserved as a historical document at the Dijon municipal library.
In 1919, Poulleau was offered a teaching post in Alexandria, Egypt, and she took that opportunity to travel to Damascus, Syria, where she founded a college for young girls. She was living in Damascus during the Syrian people's revolt against the French control; she later wrote "riots broke out in Syria, which were very harshly suppressed by the French army." During her years there, she wrote two books: In Damascus under the bombs , which was banned by French authorities for distribution in countries, like Syria, under French mandate, and Seven stories from Syria.
Returning to Nolay, France, she worked on the family estate, which she managed with her father.
On 14 October 1933, Poulleau married Georges Guibon, who was also a French geographer and traveler. The couple went together to the Middle East and also made several stays in the Antilles and Australia. Poulleau published work about their travels in the journal of Geographic Society of Paris.
After the death of her mother in France, she returned to work on the family estate in Nolay and she stayed there from 1939 on, continuing her writing, and sometimes publishing under her married name Alice Guibon. She died in 1960.

Awards

According to WorldCat.org, Poulleau has 16 works in 65 publications in 4 languages and 156 library holdings.
Books on the Middle East