If I had to name one Frenchwoman whom I admire most of all, and whom I would immediately nominate as a Woman of the Century (if there was such a designation), it would be Mariane Pearl. It’s not widely known that she’s French-born and -raised, and that she met her late husband Daniel Pearl when the latter was on assignment in Paris. (Mme. Pearl is half-Dutch, one-quarter Cuban, and one-quarter Chinese.)
I was only vaguely aware of Mme. Pearl in early 2002. At the time my then-best-friend-now-husband and I were backpacking through Africa and Asia, and when news of Daniel Pearl’s kidnapping hit CNN, we were in Tanzania. Rumors had been flying that Osama bin Laden was hiding out somewhere in Dar es Salaam, although others said he was lying low in Zanzibar. Later, after we had made our way to India, we heard that bin Laden may actually be in Delhi. (We suspected that the man was following us, but we’ve yet to produce credible evidence of that.)
We learned of Pearl’s death weeks later while we were watching the news in a tiny room in a Darjeeling youth hostel.
Mme. Pearl’s stoicism in the face of her husband’s disappearance as well as in the wake of his death sparked global sympathy and admiration. Five months pregnant at the time of the kidnapping, she appeared on several news shows to answer questions about the story as well as to communicate with the kidnappers and, by extension, Daniel. When he died, millions around the world mourned along with her, although most had probably never even heard of Daniel Pearl — an award-winning, well-respected journalist from the Wall Street Journal — until the incident. Mme. Pearl captured the world’s attention with her sharp intelligence, unbelievable courage, remarkable fortitude, and tireless strength.
Today, she continues in her quest to pursue Daniel’s killers, having recently filed suit in the U.S. District Court in New York against named terrorists as well as a Pakistani bank, accusing the latter of financing the kidnapping and murder. (The lawsuit was later dropped by the plaintiff for undisclosed personal reasons.) She’s also pursued various writing projects, including a moving series of articles for Glamour magazine, serving as a sort of global affairs correspondent reporting on women making a difference in various parts of the world. Every month, her column, titled Global Diary, chronicles the struggles and triumphs of women who fight the odds in their pursuit of justice. The magazine recently honored Mme. Pearl, along with over a dozen other women, in its annual celebration of Women of the Year.
Of course, most people know Mme. Pearl from the summer 2007 film, A Mighty Heart, starring Angelina Jolie, who has become a close friend of the Pearls. Jolie gave a stunning performance as the beleaguered Mariane, and I would recommend the film to anyone, but for a really heartstopping account of the Pearl kidnapping, as well an intimate look at Mariane herself and her almost fairy-tale love story with Daniel, the book on which the film was based is a must-read. Like the film, it can be an emotionally difficult read, and you can get so engrossed in the story that you almost want to believe that, yes, surely the ending will be different, despite what the logical part of your brain knows all too well. When you reach the inevitable ending, though, you feel as if you’re there with Mariane, alone in the room, screaming from within the darkest part of your soul.
Mme. Pearl now lives in Paris with her son five-year-old son, Adam. A new book, In Search of Hope, is based on her Glamour mag columns; all proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to the charities selected by the women profiled.
Note: French-inspired fashionistas, take note. Mme. Pearl, already a striking woman with her trademark corkscrew curls in an updo and simple makeup, has never failed to look stylish and unique, whether she’s walking the streets of New York with her new BFF Jolie, or chatting in a Parisian cafe with a journalist. I love her color choices, the fact that she’s found a hairstyle that works for her and flatters her delicate features, and that she radiates passion and fierce intelligence. When I grow up, I want to be just like Mariane Pearl.
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Bonjour Marjorie,
While I admire her amazing courage. I find the subject and the outcome of the story so heart breaking that I couldn’t read her book or see the movie. I can handle that kind of darkness and despair more easily in fiction—not sure if that makes any sense.
Thanks for the post.
Merci,
LBR
LBR,
I completely understand. I only saw the film because I found the book difficult to put down. She collaborated well with her co-author, Sarah Crichton, in turning out a well-written, utterly absorbing book.
I would not choose to see the movie again, although I did rent it from Netflix for the special features. I found the book heartbreaking, knowing the outcome as I did, but I think it was easier to get through because Mariane actually spent a great deal of time fleshing out the different characters involved in the story, as well as her own love story with Danny, that it reads more like a fiction novel than a thriller. I found her portrayal of the Pakistani officers tasked to assist her in the search for Danny to be very sympathetic, unlike, say, Bernard-Henri Levy’s characterization of Pakistanis in his own work,Who Killed Daniel Pearl?
If you have a chance, flip through some recent issues of Glamour magazine and find her “Global Diary” column. Aside from the fascinating stories she writes of remarkable women, she also often includes photos of herself, either interviewing her subjects or just in the locations where the women live. One of the things that strikes me about Mariane is her amazing ability to be stylish and unique, like a true Frenchwoman, no matter where she may be, whether it’s in a slum area of Cambodia or in a tiny apartment in Paris.
I really like that she’s found a look that works for her and flatters her unusual features. She’s not conventionally beautiful but nonetheless she’s gorgeous, and one can see why a smart, funny, globe-trotting reporter like Danny would fall in love with her. She exudes strong self-confidence and intelligence, and I love that she’s one of those who doesn’t apologize for who she is, despite some rather well-publicized gaffes since Danny’s death.
Salut,
Marjorie
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