Paul starkey has done a truly exceptional job, no wonder he has been awarded the saif ghobash banipal prize. Strange incidents from history in the city of mars. Scanning the back of the book, the story looked promising enough. A novel kamil pasha novels by jenny white available from rakuten kobo. The setting is istanbul where the naked body of a white woman had been found floating in the bosphorus. Click to read more about the sultan s seal by jenny white. The seal of the previous emperor used to be kept in the imperial treasury, and in the early days of the ottoman empire, the seals were designed in the shape of a ring worn by the sultan. I interviewed them together, although each was on a different continent when i received their answers. The first is his mystical experience of meeting the. It was also carved on his seal and stamped on the coins minted during his reign. Unfortunately, the narration left a lot to be desired. A magistrate in the new secular courts, kamil pasha, sets out to find the killer, but his dispassionate belief in science and modernity is shaken by betrayal and. The book of the sultan s seal established in 1987, interlink is an independent publishing house that offers a global, cosmopolitan perspective. Rather impulsively, he divorces his pregnant wife after their oneyear marriage.
A magistrate in the new secular courts, kamil pasha, sets out to find the. White uses a dead bodydrugged, drowned english governess mary dixon, who worked at the. Book of the sultans seal strange incidents from history. The sultans seal by jenny white begins a series featuring kamil pasha as a magistrate in istanbul during the late 1800s. I hope it is just the first in a long list of awards which this delicious cornucopia of a book deserves to receive. Jenny b white rich in sensuous detail, this first novel brilliantly captures the political and social upheavals of the waning ottoman empire. The turkish was mispronounced and the accents sounded more like they were from india rather than turkey. Kamil pasha is a magistrate trying to introduce western methods of investigation and prosecution in a rigid and arthritic culture. The sultan s seal quotes showing 14 of 4 take your time in everything, until you feel the pull within yourself. The book of the sultans seal industry news translation journal. The legend of the seal of solomon was developed primarily by medieval arabic writers, who related that the ring was engraved by god and was given to the king directly from heaven. The book of the sultans seal, strange incidents from history in the city of mars.
A historical mystery with a bit of romance thrown in, this book makes for an unputdownable read. Strange incidents from history in the city of mars interlink world fiction swallow edition series. The book of the sultans seal by youssef rakha translated by paul starkey. Youssef rakhas extraordinary the book of the sultans seal was published less than two weeks after then egyptian president hosni mubarak stepped down, following mass protests, in february 2011. The book of the sultans seal established in 1987, interlink is an independent publishing house that offers a global, cosmopolitan perspective.
The naked body of a young englishwoman washes up in istanbul wearing a pendant inscribed with the seal of the deposed sultan. Review the book of the sultans seal, youssef rakha. The important thing is that you imagine me writing, making fair copies, and clarifying the many things that happened to me during those twentyone days in the form of a letter, as every book is called in arabic. Interview with caroline eden two women look out over the caspian lowlands of mangystau in western kazakhstan. The sultan s seal was a wellplotted, beautifully written novel set in istanbul in the last days of the ottoman empire. The sultan s seal by jenny white begins a series featuring kamil pasha as a magistrate in istanbul during the late 1800s. Jenny white, an anthropologist and the author of numerous nonfiction works on turkish society and politics, has written a real winner with her debut novel, the sultan s seal. However, as i slowly got further and further into the novel, i found myself becoming more and more distracted. The sultans seal was a wellplotted, beautifully written novel set in istanbul in the last days of the ottoman empire. She writes of rich fabrics, the sparkle of jewels, the velvety black petals of kamils favorite orchid and the best way to peel the skin of an almond with your thumbnail. Around her neck is a pendant that contains the tughra, the sultan s seal a signature that is only found on special possessions of the imperial household.
She is a professor of anthropology and the author of numerous nonfiction works on turkish society and politics. Even now they are working on a joint book, which is still secret but will feature a lighthouse and a greenland shark. Kamil pasha, rich in sensuous detail, this first novel brilliantly captures the political and social upheavals of the waning ottoman empire. The book of the sultans seal is an outstanding first novel by an author who has a special ability to deal with modern and classical material, both arab and western, with equal ease. Strange incidents from history in the city of mars is one helluva read. The sultan s seal rich in sensuous detail, this debut novel brilliantly captures the political and social upheavals of the waning ottoman empire. Later, the three of them were put in a pouch and worn with a thin chain. The sultans seal is jenny whites first work of fiction. Set in instanbul during the decline of the ottoman empire, she presents a detective novel with some nice twists, and all the trimmings of the late 19th century ottoman society. A novel kamil pasha novels kindle edition by jenny white. The book of the sultans seal does not read at all like a translation.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The book of the sultan s seal does not read at all like a translation. Its hard to imagine a debut novel of greater urgency or more thrilling innovation. This is her first fictional work and her attention to historical accuracy makes it a wonderful read. The naked body of an englishwoman washes up in istanbul wearing a pendant inscribed with the seal of the deposed sultan.
Youssef rakha biography, career,books, sultans seal. Do not let yourself be guided by fear, or even by desire. It would have been better if it had sounded more authentic. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the sultan s seal. Rakha is best known for his first novel, the book of the sultans seal.
Her world, despite its restrictions, is one in which you will want to immerse yourself. A turkish murder mystery, love story and culturalhistorical panorama, told from three points of view. Paul starkey modeled on a medieval arabic manuscript in the form of a letter addressed to the writers friend, the book of the sultans seal is made up of nine chapters, each. White is an anthropologist who has written many nonfiction books about turkish society and their politics. Buy book of the sultan s seal strange incidents from history in the city of mars by youssef rakha, yausuf rakhaa from waterstones today. Rich in sensuous detail, this first novel brilliantly captures t. The naked body of a young englishwoman washes up in istanbul wearing a. The landscape in this part of the country of cavities, desert, mountain ridges, labyrinths is painted with yellow, pink and red sediment. Our list is devoted to works of literature, history, contemporary politics, travel, art, and cuisine from around the world, often from areas underrepresented in western media. You can donate a book to the sea library to help to fill its shelves. Our list is devoted to works of literature, history, contemporary politics, travel, art, and cuisine from around the world, often from areas underrepresented in.
The ring was made from brass and iron, and the two parts were used to seal written commands to. Iain pears rich in sensuous detail, this first novel br. The book of the sultan s seal, which feints in the direction of an intrusion of the supernatural into the world of contemporary cairo, does so in such an odd way, by focusing its narrative on a restoration of the ottoman caliphate. Strange incidents from history in the city of mars youssef rakha, trans. It is the year rumi year 2 or 1886 by the christian calendar. When the scene settles in your head, you will continue in your imagination. I read the sultan s seal in preparation for a bookclub meeting. Strange incidents from history in the city of mars interlink world fiction swallow edition series youssef rakha, translated from the arabic by paul starkey on.
Sultans and crocodiles reorient middle eastern arts. Send me a note, if you have a sea book you no longer need. The death resembles the unsolved murder of another englishwoman, a governess, ten years before. The sultan s seal, the abyssinian proof, and the winter thief. Strange incidents from history in the city of mars, won the 2015 saif ghobash banipal prize for arabic. This intricate mystery is set in the exotic locale of nineteenthcentury turkey, the ottoman empire in turmoil, the british insinuating themselves into local politics in. In late 19th century istanbul, the body of a young englishwoman has washed ashore, and it soon becomes apparent that she was not only a governess in the current sultan s household, but was also wearing a necklace that tied her to the former deposed sultan. Book of the sultan s seal strange incidents from history in the city of mars by youssef rakha, 9781566569910, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Youssef rakhas kitab altughra book of the sultan s seal, his first novel, set in the spring of 2007 and completed at the start of 2010, was published less than a fortnight after mass protests centred on cairos tahrir square had forced the resignation of the then egyptian president hosni mubarak on 11 february 2011 a move that prompted the transfer of power to the supreme council of. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers all about the sultan s seal by jenny white. White paints a remarkably vivid portrait of life in 19th century turkey, from the luxurious sultan s palaces to the most.
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