The Dervish

by Frances Kazan

Overview

The first Arab Spring: revolution and passion seethe and erupt in this action-packed romance during the dying days of the Ottoman Empire. Kazan's novel takes us intimately behind the veil, to see and experience the Ottoman world, to let us view, from the “other” side, how the cultural and political antagonisms between the Occident and the Orient of the past century look. There are no easy villains or heroes in this story. Only ardent, unforgettable characters. An American war widow seeks emotional asylum with her sister at the American Consulate in Constantinople during the Allied occupation in 1919. Through a crossstitched pattern of synchronicity Kazan's heroine becomes a vital thread in the fate of Mustafa Kemal (later Ataturk) and his battle for his country's freedom. Based on firsthand accounts of the Turkish nationalist resistance, The Dervish details the extraordinary events that culminated in 1923 with the creation of the Republic of Turkey. The Dervish is the dramatic culmination of Kazan's acclaimed novel Halide's Gift, the story of two sisters bound by an extraordinary friendship, and torn apart by their love of radically different men. Translated into seven languages, the novel, according to Publishers Weekly, uncovers “an Islamic world on the brink of change âthatã is carefully detailed and convincing.” The Washington Post called Kazan's work “Engrossing...” and Booklist wrote, “Kazan has written a politically intriguing and uniquely stylized novel with a subject matter that is refreshingly untrodden. A master of Turkish studies, she conveys this story with the mystique of billowing incense.” The Dervish will set readers' heads whirling with its powerful story of political and social power plays. Suspense grows à la Le Carré, as do the parallels to the latest news flashes from our own times of Mideast turmoil.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781623160067
Publisher:	Subtext
Publication date:	03/01/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Frances Kazan, writer, lecturer, producer and arts supporter, holds a Master's in Turkish studies and is a member of the American Turkish Society. Her debut novel, Goodnight, Little Sister, drew on her experience as the wife of a rock band manager. She has served on the board of directors of the Kitchen, St Ann's Warehouse, and the House Foundation for the Arts. Her travels have taken her to almost every country in the Middle East. She is the wife of the late world-renowned director, Elia Kazan. She lives in New York City. http://franceskazan.com

Editorial Reviews

In her second historical novel, Kazan (Halide's Gift) weaves the story of young painter, Mary Di Benedetti, who leaves New York in 1919 to join her sister, Connie, and diplomat brother-in-law, John, in post-WWI Istanbul, hoping to escape the haunting memories of her late husband Burnham. After witnessing the murder of an innocent young Turk by a British lieutenant, Mary is swept up into the Turkish Nationalist cause by her friendship with ardent activist Halide Hanim and an unlikely romance with the murdered boy's father, Mustafa Pasha, all of which reignites her passion for life and painting. Unfortunately, Kazan's flatfooted writing does little to similarly sweep the reader up in the exotic locale and dramatic events. This lack of style, though, does not mean a lack of substance. Kazan explores a culturally rich city in a tumultuous period, and while the large cast of characters feels hastily sketched, and the truncated romantic subplot may not be enough to captivate or satisfy the reader, the constantly shifting political heart of the story might. Kazan's superior knowledge of the subject is on full display, but her storytelling doesn't measure up. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Kazan explores the exciting and dangerous time in Turkey--or Anatolia--shortly after World War I, when Turkish nationalists under Mustafa Kemal are fighting to establish a post-Ottoman regime. The narrator is Mary Di Benedetti, an American whose husband died at the Battle of the Somme--though Mary narrates these events from a perspective some 40 years after her husband's death. After visiting his grave in France, she goes to Turkey to spend some time with her sister Connie and her brother-in-law John, a diplomat. Mary is an artist who likes to roam about unhampered to do her sketching, but one night, she witnesses an event that will change her life forever--a British soldier kills Halil, a Turk, in cold blood, though not before Halil gives some mysterious documents to Mary, who secretes them among her sketches. Halil also says something that sounds to Mary like "Holiday hanoom." After this almost Hitchcock-ian scene, Mary finds out that a woman named Halide Hanim (the latter word an honorific, not a name) is working with the nationalists and is happy to receive the unexpected documents. Mary and Halide become good friends, as Mary starts to become more and more enamored with Turkish culture. She also meets Mustafa, Halil's grieving father, and they begin a romantic relationship that must be carried on sub rosa. Although both the Allied (i.e., British) troops and the American consulate warn Mary of the dangers involved in her growing entanglement with Turkish politics and personalities, she increasingly devotes herself to the nationalist cause, even to the point of being threatened with arrest. Despite some wooden dialogue, Kazan opens a window into a time period and a culture largely ignored or forgotten in the 21st century.

Kirkus Reviews