The end of the Ottoman Empire opened up a new chapter in the story of Turkey and the Middle East whose consequences we are still experiencing today. I´ve read a lot of books and studies about the modern Turkey, and the beginning of modern nationhood in this part of the world, but not too many available studies about the last days of the Ottoman Empire as we know it.
Ayşe Osmanoğlu, the author of A Farewell to Imperial Istanbul, has herself a very interesting story to tell. She belongs to the last Ottoman family and her book is mostly inspired by personal stories and researches in the family archives. There are so many royal family, many of them no more in power, around the world who are extensively sharing their story, but for me this is a first in terms of Ottoman history thus my double interest for this book.
Given the subjective involvement of the author, don´t expect the book to be a history book, written based on the objective rules of the history of science. However, A Farewell to Imperial Istanbul is a personal story, a personal recollection that fills a historical and memorialistic void.
The writing is evocative, still balanced and takinng into account responsibly the historical milestones in the region and in the world at the time.
For historians and anyone interested in turkish and Middle Eastern evolutions, this book is an important bibliography that deserves not only attention, but also to be continued with more studies and eventually archives research. As a historian myself, I may want to further the academic investigations on this topic, hopefully soon.
Rating: 4 stars
Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own
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