BEIRUT: Hans-Lukas Kieser’s interest in Turkey began in the 1980s when he studied history in Zurich. On Sept. 12, 1980, Turkey experienced its third coup, but “nobody could explain to me the whole background,” Kieser said. At the end of the 1980s, he finally decided to specialize in the history of the Near East. Sensing a lack of intellectual material, Kieser started to write the books he had always wanted to read.
Despite his preference for what he refers to as the periphery, ie regional minorities such as the Kurds, Alevis and Armenians, he believed he had a duty to explore the center.
He has published many books, including “World War I and the End of the Ottomans: From the Balkan Wars to the American Genocide.” However, this brilliant portrait of Talaat Pasha is in a league of its own.
For a start, it is the first biography available in English about this Ottoman politician largely unheard of outside Turkey.
Also known as the Turkish Bismarck, Talaat Pasha (1874-1921) was the last powerful leader of the Ottoman Empire. As the eminence grise behind the Armenian genocide, he viewed the Armenians who pursued their dream of freedom as “a perpetual element of subversion for the Sublime State,” and thus they lost their right to exist.
This detailed, well-researched account of his life re-establishes Talaat Pasha as a key figure during the first decades of the 20th century. A self-made man who came from a lower middle-class family in Edirne, Talaat Pasha not only became the first figure of the Ottoman Empire but is also the father of modern Turkey.
In this groundbreaking biography, Kieser acknowledges that “Kemal Ataturk largely endorsed Talaat as his predecessor” and reiterates that “the Republic of Turkey was largely founded on Talaat’s groundwork and Gokalp’s ideas.”
Writing from the perspective of Istanbul, the author has taken a novel approach to the last Ottoman decade, thus placing this historic period and its actors “more firmly in the center, instead of the periphery, of a history of larger Europe.”
Biography sheds light on Talaat Pasha, the father of modern Turkey
Biography sheds light on Talaat Pasha, the father of modern Turkey
What We Are Reading Today: ‘Fuji: A Mountain in the Making’
Author: ANDREW W. BERNSTEIN
Mount Fuji is everywhere recognized as a wonder of nature and enduring symbol of Japan. Yet behind the picture-postcard image is a history filled with conflict and upheaval. Violent eruptions across the centuries wrought havoc and instilled fear.
It has been both a totem of national unity and a flashpoint for economic and political disputes.
And while its soaring majesty has inspired countless works of literature and art, the foot of the mountain is home to military training grounds and polluting industries.
What We Are Reading Today: ‘On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous’
- Vuong, a celebrated poet, brings his mastery of language to this debut novel, crafting a work that is as emotionally resonant as it is stylistically daring.
Author: Ocean Vuong
Ocean Vuong’s “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” is a breathtaking and poignant exploration of identity, memory and the enduring impact of generational trauma.
Written as a letter from a son to his mother, the novel bridges the personal and the universal, weaving together themes of love, family and survival with exquisite lyricism.
Vuong, a celebrated poet, brings his mastery of language to this debut novel, crafting a work that is as emotionally resonant as it is stylistically daring.
The narrator, Little Dog, writes to his illiterate mother, recounting his experiences growing up as a Vietnamese immigrant in America. Through this deeply personal lens, Vuong delves into the complexities of their relationship, marked by both tenderness and violence, shaped by her own traumas from the Vietnam War.
Little Dog’s reflections extend beyond their dynamic to explore his own coming of age, his struggles with identity, and the weight of cultural dislocation.
What sets the novel apart is Vuong’s poetic prose, which transforms every sentence into something luminous. His language is evocative and tactile, imbuing even the smallest moments with profound significance. Whether describing the beauty of a first love or the scars left by intergenerational pain, Vuong’s words resonate with a raw honesty that cuts to the core.
At its heart, “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” is a meditation on the power of storytelling. Little Dog’s letter becomes an act of preservation — a way to make sense of his own life and honor the sacrifices of those who came before him.
Vuong examines the ways memory is shaped by trauma and love, showing how the past informs the present in both painful and redemptive ways.
The novel’s structure, non-linear and fragmented, mirrors the nature of memory itself, creating a narrative that feels both intimate and expansive. While its introspective style and heavy themes may not appeal to all readers, “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” is an unforgettable work that demands attention.
Vuong has crafted a novel of extraordinary beauty and depth, a tender and haunting reflection on what it means to be human, to love and to endure. It is a book that lingers in the heart and mind long after the final page.
What We Are Reading Today: The Conqueror’s Gift by Michael Maas
Ethnography is indispensable for every empire, as important as armies, tax-collectors, or ambassadors. It helps rulers articulate cultural differences, and it lets the inhabitants of the empire, especially those who guide its course, understand themselves in the midst of enemies, allies, and friends.
In “The Conqueror’s Gift,” Michael Maas examines the ethnographic infrastructure of the Roman Empire and the transformation of Rome’s ethnographic vision during Late Antiquity.
Drawing on a wide range of texts, Maas shows how the Romans’ ethnographic thought evolved as they attended to the business of ruling an empire on three continents.
What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Social Wasps of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean’
Author: Chris Alice Kratzer
Social wasps like hornets and yellowjackets use the power of teamwork to build complex societies and architectural wonders, and though they comprise only a fraction of the thousands of species in North and Central America, they are almost solely responsible for giving wasps a bad reputation.
This beautifully illustrated field guide covers all known species of social wasps from the high arctic of Greenland and Alaska to the tropical forests of Panama and Grenada.
What We Are Reading Today: ‘Dinosaur Behavior’ by Michael J. Benton
Paleobiology has advanced from a speculative subject to a cutting-edge science. Today, researchers are applying the latest forensic technologies to the fossil record, revealing startling new insights into the lives of dinosaurs.
This illustrated guide explores the behavior, evolution, physiology, and extinction of dinosaurs, taking readers inside the mysterious world of these marvelous animals.
With specially commissioned illustrations by Bob Nicholls, “Dinosaur Behavior” explains how the dinosaurs lived and courted, fought and fed, signaled and interacted with each other, and much more.
