{"product_id":"9781783608898","title":"Turkey : The Insane and the Melancholy","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eTurkey\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Ece Temelkuran\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eStarting with the basic question \"what \u003ci\u003eis\u003c\/i\u003e this place?\", award-winning journalist and novelist Ece Temelkuran guides us through her \"beloved country\". In challenging the authoritarian AKP government – for which she lost her job as a journalist – Temelkuran draws strength and wisdom from people, places and artistic expression.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe result is a beautifully rendered account of the struggles, hopes and tragedies which make Turkey what it is today. Lamenting the commercialisation and authoritarianism which increasingly characterises Turkish society, Temelkuran sees hope in the Gezi Park protests of 2013, the electoral breakthrough of the progressive HDP party in 2015 and in the simple kindness of ordinary people.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMuch more than either straightforward history or memoir, \u003ci\u003eTurkey: the Insane the Melancholy\u003c\/i\u003e is like sitting with a friendly stranger who, over \u003ci\u003eraki\u003c\/i\u003e or coffee, reveals the secrets of this rich and complex country – the historic \"bridge\" between east and west.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A passionate nonfiction work...for readers with a particular interest in Turkish politics, or a more general curiosity about polarized democratic societies with authoritarian patriarchal rulers.” —\u003ci\u003eBooks We Loved in 2016', The New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Combining personal reflection, popular culture and smaller vignettes...an insightful and informative study of modern Turkey.” —\u003ci\u003eAsian Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Temelkuran's book does a masterful job of capturing the mood of the country...Temelkuran shines in describing the ways that Erdogan has exploited and exacerbated the country's polarization...the \u003ci\u003epiece de resistance\u003c\/i\u003e is her portrait of the Gezi Park protests of 2013.” —\u003ci\u003eBookforum\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Temelkuran has written a primer for today's chaos, a masterclass in expecting the unexpected. A coup attempt in 2016 seems less surprising when viewed against the four coups of the last six decades, all of which Temelkuran weaves into her mosaic of political history.” —\u003ci\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A profoundly unconventional piece of political commentary… a courageous reminder of the role creativity and the arts have to play in the collective memory of political events.” —\u003ci\u003eFrieze\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A no-holds-barred insight into the psyche of a people.” —\u003ci\u003eNew Internationalist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“An intimate book. Each page has the same, almost sensuous, feel present in the works of the poet Nazim Hikmet but absent from some decorated recent Turkish writers.” —\u003ci\u003eProspect\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Through passionate and poetic prose, Temelkuran holds a mirror to Turkey.” —\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Temelkuran excels at understanding how emotional narrative plays into politics.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Culture Trip\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“At times playful, but more often polemical...Temelkuran seethes on the front line of Turkey's culture war.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Economist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Astute...a representative example of what an intelligent observer in Turkey thinks and feels about the past fifteen years.” —\u003ci\u003eTimes Literary Supplement\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“What a brave woman! And what a fine, stylish and intelligent writer! Mixing sarcasm, anger, wit, and irony as well as hard facts, Ece Temelkuran has provided us with an informative and moving account of Turkey's seemingly inexorable drift into authoritarianism.” —\u003ci\u003eDonald Sassoon, author of The Culture of the Europeans\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A vivid portrait of a nation in turmoil...a book that should be on the reading list of everyone who is sincerely interested in this troubled country.” —\u003ci\u003eElif Safak, The Spectator\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Ece Temelkuran stares modern Turkey squarely in the eye to give a clear-sighted view of the crisis gripping the country. Temelkuran's writing delights in using the riches of language and the power of the image to create vivid insights into Turkey's turbulent past and present.” —\u003ci\u003eJodie Ginsberg, Index on Censorship\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Part guide, part confidante, Ece Temelkuran brilliantly captures the neurosis at the heart of her country. An important book for anyone who wants to understand modern Turkey.” —\u003ci\u003ePadraig Reidy, editor, Little Atoms\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A wonderful book that gives a fascinating if frightening insight into the reasons why Turkey is becoming an authoritarian state. It gives an engrossing and intimate sense of the impact this development has on every aspect of life.” —\u003ci\u003ePatrick Cockburn, author of The Rise of Islamic State\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Ece Temelkuran is a patriot - no other word will do - who, with this book, has become one with those who have stood up throughout history to despotic and criminal leaders.” —\u003ci\u003eSeymour Hersh, author of The Killing of Osama Bin Laden\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9781783608898\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Zed Books","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":40823015538894,"sku":"9781783608898","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/getimage_bedbc1f0-3601-4a9c-9954-688572662f11.jpg?v=1643098108","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9781783608898","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}