Turkish Reflections; A Biography of a Place

The author recounts her experiences living in Turkey for three years, and shares her observations on Turkish history, people, and culture

In an exotic, engaging journey deep into the heart of Turkey, Settle, who won a 1978 National Book Award for her novel Blood Tie (set in Turkey), revisits a country where past and present are everywhere intertwined. Contradicting the unflattering Western stereotypes of Turks, she depicts a people she admires for their capacity for friendship, their essential warmth and honesty. Istanbul, noisy and frantic, is also "as polite and friendly as a country village," and tough-skinned rural folk are "almost naively gentle" beneath their exterior harshness. Settle's hauntingly poetic evocation of a people and place is filled with moments of quiet rapture as she inspects the remains of ancient kingdoms, retraces the paths of Seljuk sultan Aladdin, dips in thermal baths and views mosques and churches, castles, sphinxes and the prison where Nazim Hikmet, Turkey's finest modern poet, was imprisoned for his work.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Long neglected by tourists, Turkey has now become a popular destination and one that is inspiring some excellent travel writing. A country of rich layered history, much of which is still evident to the trained eye, it especially attracts those with antiquarian interests. This is a knowledgeable and affectionate portrait by an American novelist who has done her homework. Her visits, 15 years apart, enabled her to record, among other things, the impact that tourism is having on traditional cultures and landscapes. This thoughtful book deserves to be on any serious reading list on Turkey.
- Harold M. Otness, Southern Ore gon State Coll. Lib., Ashland
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.