Praise for Love in the Days of Rebellion
“Altan’s lush swirl of intrigue and speculation is filtered through the consciousness of a reclusive modern-day citizen of Istanbul, holed up in his grandfather’s decaying mansion, channeling the stories of his ancestors and those who surrounded them.”—The New York Times
“In Altan’s world, love comes with loss, happiness is the cause of unhappiness, divorce can yield friendship, honor and conviction are conjoined with infidelity, error and uncertainty; there are always choices to be made [ . . . ] Love in the Days of Rebellion is atmospheric, hypnotic, inevitable, and sad, or perhaps triste, as Hikmet Bey would undoubtedly have put it.”—The Asian Review of Books
“This book is just as piercing as the first in the series and readers would be well served by reading that one first. An ambitious and intelligent thriller about love and war.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Sweeping and superbly written, Love in the Days of Rebellion sheds light on one of the most painful and overlooked chapters of Ottoman history, perfectly combining literature and historiography.”—Medioriente e dintorni
“The entire novel radiates with extreme beauty.”—Critica LetterariaPraise for Ahmet Altan“Ahmet Altan is one of the foremost voices in Turkish literature and has much to say to the world.”—Elif Shafak, author of The Bastard of Istanbul and Three Daughters of Eve“The period details are abundant and accurate; [...] and turn-of-the-century Istanbul, both beautiful and corrupt, comes vividly to life.”—Wendy Smith, Publishers Weekly on Like a Sword Wound
★ “Existential questions perfectly blended with atmosphere and rat-a-tat prose; highly recommended.”—Library Journal (Starred Review) on Endgame“Although it offers an implicit critique of Turkey’s corrupt justice system, Endgame is also comic and charmingly absurd, largely due to the reckless efforts of its characters to get even.”—The Washington Post on Endgame
2020-09-16
The second installment in a Godfather-level crime saga set in the Ottoman Empire.
Altan, a prominent Turkish journalist, has been locked up by his authoritarian government since 2016. His prison memoir, I Will Never See the World Again (2019), is a master class in courage in a time of corruption. This novel, published in Turkish in 2001, is the second book in The Ottoman Quartet, a complex story involving authoritarianism, freedom of speech, political philosophy, and sexual politics, taking place during a time of open warfare in the early 20th century. Our guide to the story is Osman, a middle-aged man living in contemporary Turkey who can see and hear the dead, or at least personal versions of his family history from a century ago. He can't really admit that to anyone, so he keeps to himself as much as he can. In Altan's version of his country's history, there are a lot of powerful players. His Majesty the Sultan Abdulhamid II, who has reigned since 1876, always poses a threat. Reşit Pasha, the personal doctor to the sultan, is a fearful but also dangerous character, and there are also a variety of children, relatives, and disciples all working their own angles. That's not to mention a few menacing women, including Mihrişah Sultan, an Ottoman princess. The book is comparable to Vikram Chandra’s Sacred Games (2006), not only in terms of its scope, but also in the depths of its characterization and the visceral tensions between characters. Osman’s connection with the dead brings in that little touch of magical realism that makes things cool. The political war games that constantly surround the crown give everything an extra bit of palpable menace. This book is just as piercing as the first in the series, Like a Sword Wound (2018), and readers would be well served by reading that one first.
An ambitious and intelligent thriller about love and war.
