BOOK PUBLISHERS
THE DERVISH
A Novel by Frances Kazan
"Kazan opens a window into a time period and a culture largely ignored or forgotten in the 21st century." --Kirkus Reviews
“Like an intricately patterned Turkish carpet, Halide’s Gift is a complex tale of intrigue, secrets, superstitions and veiled passions set at the end of nineteenth century Constantinople.” — Susan Vreeland, author of Girl in Hyacinth Blue
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 cross-stitched 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 first-hand 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 [that] is carefully detailed and convincing.”
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.
“Kazan has taken Halide Edib’s true story and turned it into the kind of fiction that illuminates a world.” — Jane Kramer
“I was gripped by Kazan’s evocation of the last days of the Ottoman empire in Halide’s Gift. An impressive novel.” —Pankaj Mishra, author of The Romantics
FRANCES KAZAN (New York), writer, lecturer, producer and arts supporter, holds a Master’s in Turkish studies and is a member of the American Turkish Society. She has served on the board of directors of the Kitchen, St Ann’s Warehouse, and the House Foundation for the Arts. Author’s website: http://franceskazan.com. She is the wife of the late world-renowned director, Elia Kazan.
FICTION • CLOTH • $24.95
256 pp • 6 X 9 • World
ISBN: 978-1-62316-004-3
E-Book Editions Also Available
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