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Bright Sun
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So many books exist on Turkish culture
that it's difficult to know where to
start.
Wait—no it isn't!
The place to start is with Barrie Kerper's Istanbul:
The Collected Traveler.
Ms
Kerper, a longtime lover of Istanbul and
Turkish culture, has collected nearly
600 pages of essays, stories, news
items, poems, recipes and interviews
on Turkey in general and Istanbul in
particular.
The range of topics is almost bewildering,
from an essay on Ottoman Art
by the esteemed museum director Ms Esin
Atıl through
debates on the origins of Turkish cuisine
to John Freely's classic
portrait of "The Passage of Flowers"
(Istanbul's
Çiçek
Pasajı). There's even an interview
with yours
truly.
Ms Kerper's vision of, and acquaintance
with, Turkish culture is broad and
eclectic: history, architecture, art,
cuisine, society, geography, literature,
personalities—you name it, and she
has probably included a piece of writing
that touches upon it.
Beyond Istanbul, the book includes
writing about the Bosphorus, Edirne (Adrianople), Bursa (Proussa) and Gallipoli.
If 600 pages is not enough for you,
fret not. Ms Kerper details Recommended
Reading that goes beyond each of the
section headings in her book.
The tourist doing a quick 10-day check-off
of Turkey's top sights might not care
about culture, but if you have an interest
in Turkey beyond the quick tour, Istanbul:
The Collected Traveler is
a great way to begin your education
about all things Turkish.
Istanbul: The Collected
Traveler: An Inspired Companion Guide,
edited by Barrie Kerper
New York: Vintage Departures, a division
of Random House, Inc., 2009. ISBN 978-0-307-39059-2
596 pages, photographs and illustrations.
US$19. Click here to get it.
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