Midnight at the Pera Palace
Midnight at the Pera Palace
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Summary
Charles King brings to life a remarkable era when a storied city stumbled into the modern world and reshaped the meaning of cosmopolitanism.
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Midnight at the Pera Palace by Charles King
When the Ottoman Empire collapsed, so many spies mingled in the lobby of Istanbul’s Pera Palace Hotel that the manager put up a sign asking them to relinquish seats to paying guests. As the multi-ethnic empire became a Turkish republic, Russian émigrés sold family heirlooms, an African American impresario founded a jazz club and Miss Turkey became the first Muslim beauty queen. Turkey’s president Kemal Atatürk, Muslim feminist Halide Edip, the exiled Leon Trotsky and the future Pope John XXIII fought for new visions of human freedom. During the Second World War, German intellectuals ran from the Nazis while Jewish activists spirited refugees out of occupied Europe. This pioneering portrait of urban reinvention re-creates an era when an ancient city became a global crossroads—a moment when Europe’s closest Muslim metropolis became its vital port of refuge.
"Intrigue, violence, sex and espionage, all set against the slow dimming of Ottoman magnificenceI loved this book." -- Simon Winchester
"Mr King has found a winning formula for depicting the micro- and macro-history of one of the world’s most seductive places." -- The Economist
"King’s wonderful book, as rich in historic moments as it is in squalor, may have got closer to Istanbul’s enduring spirit than any other." -- The Sunday Telegraph
"Charles King’s lively and intelligent book…" -- The Times
"Charles King has combed out the threads of this complex and highly nuanced story in a hugely enjoyable, magnificently researched and deeply absorbing book." -- The New York Times
"Mr King has found a winning formula for depicting the micro- and macro-history of one of the world’s most seductive places." -- The Economist
"King’s wonderful book, as rich in historic moments as it is in squalor, may have got closer to Istanbul’s enduring spirit than any other." -- The Sunday Telegraph
"Charles King’s lively and intelligent book…" -- The Times
"Charles King has combed out the threads of this complex and highly nuanced story in a hugely enjoyable, magnificently researched and deeply absorbing book." -- The New York Times
Charles King is a professor of international affairs and government at Georgetown University. A frequent media commentator on global issues, he is the author of Gods of the Upper Air, Odessa, Midnight in the Pera Palace, and other books. He lives in Washington, DC.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780393089141 |
| ISBN 10 | 0393089142 |
| Title | Midnight at the Pera Palace |
| Author | Charles King |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | WW Norton & Co |
| Year published | 2014-11-14 |
| Number of pages | 480 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |