Turkey Unveiled - Hardcover

Pope, Hugh; Pope, Nicole

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0879518987 ISBN 13: 9780879518981

Publisher: Overlook Press, 1998

Synopsis

In this work, the authors offer a picture of 20th-century Turkey and its formative past: the strengths and weaknesses of the Ottomans, the Armenian tragedy, the Kurdish struggle, and the controversial legacy of the brilliant but autocratic founder of the Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. They also examine the new leaders such as the late Turgut Ozal and Tansu Ciller, who broke taboos, ushered in new freedoms and led their formerly introverted country onto the international stage. Lastly, they explain how the new Islamist-led government constitutes not a revolution but perhaps a fresh synthesis with the past.

About this title

Review:

This book campaigns with great clarity and vigour against our ignorance and bewilderment... TURKEY UNVEILED is a responsible and well-balanced book that neither takes sides nor shirks important issues... it is rich in anecdote and observation, and manages to be affectionate and respectful, but highly critical, at the same time' - Louis de Bernieres, Observer Review 'One of the best accounts of Turkey's recent political history' - Orhan Pamuk, Times Literary Supplement 'A first-class guide to [Turkey's] political history; it will quickly take its place as the best general survey of modern Turkish politics in English' - Sunday Telegraph 'An outstanding, masterly and lucid account of the Turkish republic since its foundation in 1923. I shall be very surprised if it does not remain the foremost political introduction to Turkey for several years to come' - David McDowall, author of A Modern History of the Kurds 'Excellent... penetrating in its analysis' - Independent 'A lively read, full of sure-footed analysis and attention to comic as well as lurid detail' - Guardian

From the Author:

Critics review TURKEY UNVEILED
"This book campaigns with great clarity and vigour against our ignorance and bewilderment ... Turkey Unveiled is a responsible and well-balanced book that neither takes sides nor shirks important issues. It conveys a clear picture of Turkey's development from Ottoman times to the present, it is rich in anecdote and observation, and manages to be affectionate and respectful, but highly critical, at the same time. It reads seamlessly, which is remarkable in a co-authored book." Louis de Bernières, author of Captain Corelli's Mandolin, the Observer Review, June 15, 1997

"A first-class guide to (Turkey's) political history; it will quickly take its place as the best general survey of modern Turkish politics in English ... the Pope's comments (on the vexed problem of the Kurds) should become required reading for Western diplomats and politicians." Noel Malcolm, the Sunday Telegraph, June 22, 1997

"Full of sure-footed analysis and attention to comic as well as lurid detail." Jonathan Rugman, the Guardian, July 17, 1997

"The Popes put their emphasis squarely on politics ... tracing everything that has happened since (Ataturk) in clear, bold lines which effortlessly bring today's political parties into sharp focus. This is a pragmatic, brisk trot across the territory, written out of an awesome depth of first-hand knowledge of the country, tough, at times uncompromising, yet informed by a clear understanding of what makes Turkey tick." Arminta Wallace, Irish Times, July 19, 1997

"After a brief and exhilarating gallop over the centuries of steppes and Seljuks, an enjoyable canter among the Ottomans and a swift trot through the Ataturk years ... the authors have omitted little of importance. Turkey Unveiled is the best available general account of the history and politics of postwar Turkey, strongly recommended as an informed and balanced account of what's been going on here in recent decades ... Nicole and Hugh Pope have interviewed practically everyone of note and clearly know their way around the tangled skeins of Turkish political life ." Roger Norman, Turkish Daily News, July 28, 1997

"The authors ... perform an admirable service in presenting the Turks as normal and likeable human beings, with whom western readers should not find it difficult to empathise. This is in fact precisely the good readable introduction to Turkish politics which has been cruelly lacking for at least a generation ... the authors would not claim to rival the scholarship of Professor Bernard Lewis, but their work comes nearer to replacing or updating his Emergence of Modern Turkey (1961) than anything that has appeared in English since." Edward Mortimer, Financial Times, August 2, 1997

"An outstanding, masterly and lucid account of the Turkish republic since its foundation in 1923. I shall be surprised if it does not remain the foremost political introduction to Turkey for several years to come ... Try as I might I could think of no political issue of significance that the Popes have not discerningly and entertainingly discussed. Their account is filled with anecdotal material which reveals just how well they know their subject. Despite their manifest affection for Turkey, the Popes do not duck the controversial issues ... (a) marvellous book." David McDowall, Middle East International, August 8, 1997

"A careful attempt to combine criticism with understanding and affection for the country...one of the best accounts of Turkey's recent political history." Orhan Pamuk, Times Literary Supplement, August 8, 1997

"For over a decade now, Nicole and Hugh Pope have lived as the uncrowned king and queen of the foreign press corps in Turkey: astute, well-informed ... For years, the visitor who wanted an up-to-the-moment account of Turkey has usually had to sift through highly specialist, unimaginative tomes on economics an political science. Mr and Mrs Pope have unfurled a board, colourful canvas, teeming with detail and offering their own distinct vision ... for most Western readers this book will come as a revelation." David Barchard, Cornucopia, Autumn 1997

"A writer about foreign parts needs more than radical attitudes and a facility for purple prose...Turkey Unveiled: Ataturk and After gives the best available description of the present state and recent past of the Republic of Turkey and of its people. It is well researched and it provides a mass of useful, interesting and curious information. For a book so full of detail, there are a very few slips or questionable judgements." Andrew Mango, Middle Eastern Studies, Vol. 34, No. 2, April 1998

"Two of the most percepting journalists currently reporting from Turkey, Nicole Pope of Le Monde and Hugh Pope of the Wall Street Journal, have written a balanced and detailed recent history of the country ... especially strong in covering the last ten years of Turkey's polics, the Kurdish issue and Ankara's opening to the Turkic world ... the authors display an intimate understanding of Turkey's politics and society when they deal with the post-coup period, especially the Ozal era ... the chapter analysing Turkey's Kurdish problem is brilliant ... an important work with a clear message." Soli Ozel, Survival, IISS Quarterly, Summer 1998 Vol. 40/No. 2

About this edition

• Publisher: Overlook Press
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0879518987
• ISBN 13: 9780879518981
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 373