The story of my struggles: the memoirs of Ármin Vámbéry
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| Ármin Vámbéry |
From the introduction:
Authors of Autobiography are much exposed to falling into self-glorification. If I nevertheless have undertaken to write the following pages, I have done so because of the unexpectedly favourable criticism which the first two chapters of my book.
Life and Adventures of Arminius Vambdry, Written by Himself — met within England and in America. In this book, I tried to lay before the public an account of such travels and wanderings of mine as were not comprised in my first book on Central Asia, and in addition, I thought it advisable to give a few outlines of my juvenile adventures and struggles. Strange to say it was the narrative of the latter which elicited the particular interest of my readers, as I noticed from the many letters I received from the most distant parts of Europe and America.
Well, I said to myself, if such short sketches of my curious career have evoked this interest on the part of my readers, what will be the impression if I draw the picture of my whole life and of all the vicissitudes I went through from my childhood to my present old age? This is the main reason of the issue of the present volumes. Keeping in mind the Oriental proverb, " To speak of his own self is the business of the Shaitan,"
I have reluctantly touched upon many topics connected with my personality, but events are mostly inseparable from actors, and besides I have found encourage- ment in recalling the appreciation Britons and Americans are habitually ready to accord to the career of self-made men. There are besides other motives which have served as incentives to these pages.
The various stages of my life have been passed in various countries and societies, and a personal record of men and events dating from half a century back may not be without interest to the present generation. Unchecked by conventional modesty and false shame, I have related all I went through in plain and unadorned words, and if I have not concealed facts relating to my very humble origin and to the mistakes I committed, neither have I thought it necessary to leave unmentioned the result of my labours and the honours entailed by them. It is now forty years ago since I had first the honour of coming before the British public, and my desire to be thoroughly known by it may be pardoned.
Vámbéry was born as Hermann Wamberger in Szent-György, Kingdom of Hungary (now Svätý Jur, Slovakia), into a poor Jewish family. According to Ernst Pawel, a biographer of Theodor Herzl, as well as Tom Reiss, a biographer of Kurban Said, Vámbéry's original last name was Wamberger rather than Bamberger. He was raised Jewish but later became an atheist. Vámbéry was 1 year old when his father died and the family moved to Dunaszerdahely
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