A Story Worth Telling: Sarah Banne Belzoni and the Heart of The Exploress and the Pillars of Eternity

She was never meant to be remembered. And yet, she refused to be forgotten.

As I continue to reflect on The Exploress and the Pillars of Eternity being named a 2026 Firebird Book Award winner in Women’s Fiction, I find myself returning to the heart of the story—not the award itself, but the woman who inspired it: Sarah Banne Belzoni.

History has a way of preserving certain names while quietly allowing others to fade into the background. More often than not, those forgotten voices belong to women—women who stood beside great discoveries, who endured the same hardships, who contributed in ways that were rarely recorded or recognized.

Sarah Banne Belzoni was one of them.

She lived in a time when exploration was celebrated, but recognition was selective. While the world remembers the names of men who traveled, uncovered, and documented, women like Sarah were expected to remain in the margins—present, but unseen.

And yet, Sarah’s story refuses to stay there.

In writing The Exploress and the Pillars of Eternity, I wanted to step beyond the traditional narrative and ask a simple but powerful question: What if we looked closer? What if we allowed ourselves to see the courage, resilience, and determination of a woman who experienced these journeys firsthand?

Sarah is not simply a companion to history—she is an active participant in it. She is observant, resilient, and quietly defiant in a world that offers her little space to be anything else. Her strength does not always come in grand gestures, but in persistence, in endurance, and in the refusal to disappear.

That, to me, is what makes her story so compelling.

This novel is not just about exploration in the physical sense, but about stepping into a narrative that was never meant to include you—and claiming your place within it anyway.

Receiving the Firebird Book Award in Women’s Fiction is incredibly meaningful, but what matters even more is the opportunity to bring Sarah’s story to light. If this recognition helps more readers discover her, then it has done something truly worthwhile.

Because some stories are not just meant to be told.

They are meant to be remembered.

📜 Historical Note: Sarah Banne Belzoni

Sarah Banne Belzoni (1783–1870) was a remarkable figure in the early days of Egyptology, though her contributions have often been overshadowed by those of her husband, Giovanni Battista Belzoni. Born in Ireland, Sarah accompanied her husband on his travels throughout Egypt during a time when such journeys were both physically demanding and socially unconventional for women.

Far more than a passive observer, Sarah played an active role in these expeditions. She navigated unfamiliar landscapes, endured challenging conditions, and documented her experiences with a keen eye for detail. Her writings provide valuable insight into the realities of travel and exploration in the early 19th century—particularly from a woman’s perspective, which was rarely recorded at the time.

In 1820, she published Narrative of the Operations and Recent Discoveries within the Pyramids, Temples, Tombs, and Excavations in Egypt and Nubia, offering her own account of their travels. Her work stands as an important historical document, shedding light not only on the discoveries themselves but also on the human experiences behind them.

While history has often placed her in the background, Sarah Banne Belzoni’s voice endures through her writing. Her story serves as a reminder that the history we know is only part of a much larger narrative—one that continues to be rediscovered and reexamined.

by A. Piper Burgi

Piper is the award-winning author of The Country Girl Empress series. When she isn't busy typing on her computer, she can be found chasing after her furry children or holding on tightly to a good cup of coffee. Follow her on LinkedIn, Facebook, Medium, and Goodreads