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suzandeniz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.25
lauren_endnotes's review against another edition
4.0
"...fascism isn't when the bad guys suddenly materialise and kick the living daylights out of the good guys. Fascism is a gradual loss of humanity. The progression is so slow it may be invisible to the naked eye."
TURKEY: The Insane and the Melancholy by Ece Temelkuran, tr. from the Turkish by Zeynap Beler, 2015 Turkish / 2016 English.
Deep appreciation for a book that unveils a social and political history that I (unfortunately) knew so little about.
Temelkuran structures the book in 3 sections: Yesterday - Today - Tomorrow, nodding to the past and "how we got here" with rich descriptions, photographs, letters; the rise of autocratic leaders and human rights abuses, the neverending undeclared war with the Kurdish people and the associated atrocities; and a look to the future, relations with Europe, bridging with Asia, and other political powers.
Temelkuran writes with boldness and candor here in this book, but also throughout her career as a journalist and political commentator. Her criticism of the Turkish government has led to her dismissal from several news outlets, yet she remains a strong voice and conscience, continuing to speak to the abuses of people AND power.
Her skill as a writer shines through in translation as well (and undoubtedly thanks to her translator!) I was fond of her style with lists, bullet points, and visual graphics to bolster and clarify her arguments.
Because I know little of Turkish modern history, and this was likely written for an audience with that cultural knowledge, there were many things that went "over my head". However this intrigues me even more to go and fill in the gaps! It remains a very readable and valuable resource for anyone, even without knowledge of these political and historical intricacies.
My second Temelkuran book - my first was actually her poetry collection. I also have one of her novels still to read. Such amazing range and knowledge she has.
TURKEY: The Insane and the Melancholy by Ece Temelkuran, tr. from the Turkish by Zeynap Beler, 2015 Turkish / 2016 English.
Deep appreciation for a book that unveils a social and political history that I (unfortunately) knew so little about.
Temelkuran structures the book in 3 sections: Yesterday - Today - Tomorrow, nodding to the past and "how we got here" with rich descriptions, photographs, letters; the rise of autocratic leaders and human rights abuses, the neverending undeclared war with the Kurdish people and the associated atrocities; and a look to the future, relations with Europe, bridging with Asia, and other political powers.
Temelkuran writes with boldness and candor here in this book, but also throughout her career as a journalist and political commentator. Her criticism of the Turkish government has led to her dismissal from several news outlets, yet she remains a strong voice and conscience, continuing to speak to the abuses of people AND power.
Her skill as a writer shines through in translation as well (and undoubtedly thanks to her translator!) I was fond of her style with lists, bullet points, and visual graphics to bolster and clarify her arguments.
Because I know little of Turkish modern history, and this was likely written for an audience with that cultural knowledge, there were many things that went "over my head". However this intrigues me even more to go and fill in the gaps! It remains a very readable and valuable resource for anyone, even without knowledge of these political and historical intricacies.
My second Temelkuran book - my first was actually her poetry collection. I also have one of her novels still to read. Such amazing range and knowledge she has.
cwgrieves's review
5.0
This book deserves praise not only for the wonderful and insightful writing, but also for the courage that it took to write it. I can't remember reading a non-fiction book that made me want to read the author's fiction as much as this one did. I'd recommend it to anyone and everyone!
xalaila's review
5.0
Interesting; funny and heartbreaking at the same time, Ece Temelkuran's history of Turkey and its current politics is a page turner.
As an activist, I know some of the situations described, but her writing brought them closer to home, and not just metaphorically. I realised that our countries are more similar than we think, for better or for worse, and a better understading of Turkey's transformations in the last century definitely help me understand my own country much better.
As an activist, I know some of the situations described, but her writing brought them closer to home, and not just metaphorically. I realised that our countries are more similar than we think, for better or for worse, and a better understading of Turkey's transformations in the last century definitely help me understand my own country much better.
charleyroxy's review
5.0
Turkey: The Insane and the Melancholy was written by Ece Temelkuran in 2015 and translatedfrom Turkish the same year by Zeynep Beler. I loved Temelkuran's voice when I read her latest book, How To Lose a Country, last year and knew I needed to read more. In Turkey: The Insane and the Melancholy, she writes with the familiarity of your best friend while sitting and having a cuppa *I wrote this as a note before reading the end and seeing that was her intent so it was a success
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