Demetra Kenneth Brown
Encyclopedia
Demetra Kenneth Brown was a Greek-American
author, born on the island of Bouyouk Ada
, Sea of Marmora
. Her early life was passed in close touch with the Turkish people
, but many of their customs revolted her, especially the prearranged marriages. She ran away from home to escape such a marriage, and came to the United States
with the family of a relative. She joined the staff of the Greek newspaper Atlantis in New York City
, but after six months of this, she gave up journalism and became a teacher of French
at the Comstock School (New York), where she remained until 1903, except for a brief interval in 1901 when she returned to Turkey
for a visit. In 1904 she was married to Kenneth Brown
, novelist, and soon began to write. Her second book, Haremlik, published in 1909, commanded wide attention. It consisted of 10 studies of Turkish women. A Child of the Orient (1914) relates the story of the author's own childhood. Other books of hers include:
Greek American
Greek Americans are Americans of Greek descent also described as Hellenic descent. According to the 2007 U.S. Census Bureau estimation, there were 1,380,088 people of Greek ancestry in the United States, while the State Department mentions that around 3,000,000 Americans claim to be of Greek descent...
author, born on the island of Bouyouk Ada
Büyükada
Büyükada is the largest of the nine so-called Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara, near Istanbul, with an area of about two square miles...
, Sea of Marmora
Sea of Marmara
The Sea of Marmara , also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, and in the context of classical antiquity as the Propontis , is the inland sea that connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea, thus separating Turkey's Asian and European parts. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Black...
. Her early life was passed in close touch with the Turkish people
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
, but many of their customs revolted her, especially the prearranged marriages. She ran away from home to escape such a marriage, and came to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with the family of a relative. She joined the staff of the Greek newspaper Atlantis in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, but after six months of this, she gave up journalism and became a teacher of French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
at the Comstock School (New York), where she remained until 1903, except for a brief interval in 1901 when she returned to Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
for a visit. In 1904 she was married to Kenneth Brown
Kenneth Brown (journalist)
Kenneth Brown was an American author and journalist, born in Chicago. He studied in Germany, Switzerland, and Paris, and at Harvard and the University of Virginia. For some years he was in newspaper work in Boston, New York, Baltimore, and Chicago, and in 1898-1900 was for a second time in New...
, novelist, and soon began to write. Her second book, Haremlik, published in 1909, commanded wide attention. It consisted of 10 studies of Turkish women. A Child of the Orient (1914) relates the story of the author's own childhood. Other books of hers include:
- The First Secretary (1907), in collaboration with her husband
- The Duke's Price (1910), in collaboration with her husband
- Finella in Fairyland (1910)
- In the Shadow of Islam (1911)
- The Grasp of the Sultan (1916)
- The Heart of the BalkansBalkansThe Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
(1917) - In the Heart of German Intrigue (1918), which grew out of interviews with King ConstantineConstantine I of GreeceConstantine I was King of Greece from 1913 to 1917 and from 1920 to 1922. He was commander-in-chief of the Hellenic Army during the unsuccessful Greco-Turkish War of 1897 and led the Greek forces during the successful Balkan Wars of 1912–1913, in which Greece won Thessaloniki and doubled in...