Having been a
keen traveller for years, I have also been an avid reader. These two passions
easily overlap as, while planning trips, I love reading about places I will
visit to see if I can improve my cultural understanding and appreciation of a
new place and I also enjoying revisiting, through books, places I have been.
While we’re all temporarily grounded (thanks Covid-19), I thought I’d share
some posts about travel literature during this period of solitude. I’m going to
start with Turkey.
Having lived in
Turkey for a number of years myself, albeit a while ago now, these days I am
mostly reminiscing when I read books set there, either reliving my own
blundering expat experiences, or enjoying references to the cultural details I
miss or some of the delicious dishes….hmmmmm! However, there are several titles
that also present a worthwhile introduction to this complex and fascinating
country, and would also provide some useful insight for the first-time visitor.
Here, in no
particular order, are my reading recommendations:
FICTION
A Strangeness in My Mind - Orhan Pamuk
Possibly Turkey’s most famous author, Pamuk writes such beautiful prose about his country that you can’t help be bewitched by his books and transported to Turkey. This is a story telling the lives of ordinary people against the backdrop of Istanbul’s evolution for the past 50 years that brings the streets of the city alive.
Possibly Turkey’s most famous author, Pamuk writes such beautiful prose about his country that you can’t help be bewitched by his books and transported to Turkey. This is a story telling the lives of ordinary people against the backdrop of Istanbul’s evolution for the past 50 years that brings the streets of the city alive.
My Name is Red - Orhan Pamuk
An exciting murder mystery set in the 1500s in the Ottoman Empire’s Sultan’s Palace. If you’re into history, you’ll love this, and think about it as you tour Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace!
An exciting murder mystery set in the 1500s in the Ottoman Empire’s Sultan’s Palace. If you’re into history, you’ll love this, and think about it as you tour Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace!
The Museum of Innocence - Orhan Pamuk
A deeply felt love story set between 1975 and the present day exploring societal difficulties of individuals caught between living traditional and western lives. (I’ll stop listing Pamuk books now, but he’s written several, so if these don’t grab your interest particularly, look him up. I’m sure another will).
Birds Without Wings - Louis de Bernieres
A love story set in the time of the 1923 population exchange of Christians and Muslims between Greece and Turkey, inspired by what is nowadays a ghost village in south west Turkey.
A deeply felt love story set between 1975 and the present day exploring societal difficulties of individuals caught between living traditional and western lives. (I’ll stop listing Pamuk books now, but he’s written several, so if these don’t grab your interest particularly, look him up. I’m sure another will).
Birds Without Wings - Louis de Bernieres
A love story set in the time of the 1923 population exchange of Christians and Muslims between Greece and Turkey, inspired by what is nowadays a ghost village in south west Turkey.
The Bastard of Istanbul
– Elif Shafak
Modern fiction
following a Turkish family in Istanbul and Armenian family living in the USA,
who are both descended from children rescued by American missionaries in 1915.
Without a Country
– Ayse Kulin
Historical
fiction following the experiences of a German Jewish family forced to flee
Germany at the outbreak of World War II, and exploring the culture clashes they
encounter as they, and subsequent generations, face as they settle in Turkey.
Last Letter From
Istanbul – Lucy Foley
Historical
fiction / love story set in Istanbul and following the efforts of a Turkish
woman and an English Army Medical Officer to protect a young boy caught in the
crossfire of the outbreak of World War II.
REAL LIFE EXPERIENCE
A Fez of the
Heart – Jeremy Seal
This book details
the author’s journey around Turkey investigating the significance of the Fez,
providing an illuminating and entertaining portrait of the country.
The Yoghurt Man
Cometh – Kevin Revolinski
An amusing memoir
of an American man’s year-long experience as an English teacher in Ankara. This
book highlights several of the initially incomprehensible details of Turkish
culture visitors may well encounter.
Perking the
Pansies – Jack Scott
A modern day
memoir of Jack and Liam’s bumpy adventures making a life for themselves, as a
married gay couple in Bodrum on the south coast.
Turkey’s an
inspiring place! What have you read that was about or set in Turkey? Please
share any recommendations you have in the comments.
