How true it is when it is said that a dream tackled with constant anticipation, strong will, love and passion always becomes reality. It is by following this philosophy that the project of writing my memoirs began to take shape.
I drew upon my farthest memories and brought to life experiences lived in a distant historical period, the 20s and 30s up to 1945, the time when my homeland Ethiopia suffered the fascist aggression of 1935/36 which overturned my happy childhood and changed the course of my life .
A decisive element was the support and encouragement that I received from my children when, during Chrismas holidays or other occasions I would describe the heroic deeds of their grandfather, my father Dejatch Nassibou Zamanuel and the life-style of the aristocracy in feudal Ethiopia.
They listened with passion to his story and marveled over the description of the rich and fascinating costumes embroidered with gold and silk worn by the feudal ethiopian aristocracy and the by the clergy of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. It all sounded to them like a fairy tale and they asked me to make a book out of this fascinating splendour of one of the most ancient empires, known to very few people in the western world.
That is how the story of my life was conceived: in my soul first, my heart and mind thereafter. Hence the writing unfolded under my pen as an irresistible flow of memories and the story came to life, enriched by the wondrous atmosphere of my homeland, Ethiopia. An alchemy took place that transformed my memories into what has been defined as a “marvelous” book.
The book “Memorie di una principessa etiope” is published by Neri Pozza, an Italian publishing house based in Milan an Vicenza. At present it is published in Italian and will be translated into French and English later on.
Find the book at on the Neri Pozza website
Visit my website www.marthanassibou.com
