Princess Marthe Bibesco had looks, talent, and a cosmopolitan education. She went on to become one of the most acclaimed international writers and intellectuals of her day.

Yet Marthe's life, for all its privilege, elegance, and achievement, was also hostage to history.

In the first English-language biography of Princess Bibesco, Christine Sutherland brings back to life this courageous, unconventional woman, whose passion for literature, European politics, and the folk traditions of her remote country sustained her through two bloody world wars, the collapse of the old aristocratic order, a stormy marriage, and, eventually, the loss of her wealth, her home, and the promise of a free, democratic Romania.