Ayse A. Sahin Livres

"From the internationally bestselling author of Disquiet, a brilliant political allegory that vividly illustrates how capitalism and authoritarianism harm us and the environment. A retired General-the leader of the latest military takeover-moves to a peaceful island and decides to rid it of what he sees as its last remaining "anarchic" components. The island, described by its people as a utopia, the last peaceful resort for mankind, morphs into dystopia when the General, in the hope of bringing order to the island life, begins to act more and more like a dictator. The first ones to revolt against the General are the seagulls. Originally written in 2008 as a condemnation of the authoritarian Turkish regime, The Last Island has only grown more relevant, foreshadowing the events and aftermath of Istanbul's bloody Gezi Park/Taksim Square political protests of 2013, as well as the protest movements of our time"-- Provided by publisher

In this humane, affecting tale of a Turkish couple who lose their child and find another, the internationally bestselling author of Disquiet explores the ethical questions surrounding immigration. Fisherman Mustafa and his wife, Mesude, are devastated with grief for their son Deniz, who was lost at sea at seven years old. One day, Mustafa discovers the bodies of a woman and man in the water, likely refugees from Syria, Pakistan, or Afghanistan drowned as they attempted to reach Greece. Nearby, he also finds a baby boy, tied to a small inflatable boat and miraculously alive. Mustafa and Mesude at first welcome the child as a precious gift, a second Deniz, but when a woman appears, claiming to be his mother, they must make a painful decision. Through their heart-wrenching story, Zülfü Livaneli sensitively evokes the struggles of migrants seeking a safer life in unknown, often hostile lands. In the process, he elucidates the history and culture of the Aegean, and the ecological destruction wreaked by corporations in the region.

A literary tour-de-force, this vivid account of an infamous Ottoman sultan’s life in exile is also a powerful indictment of the hypocrisies of the West, from the internationally bestselling author of Disquiet. Abdülhamid II ruled the Ottoman Empire for thirty-three years, from 1876 to 1909, when he was deposed following the Young Turk Revolution and sent into exile in Thessaloniki. Now, more than a century after that fateful night of April 27, Zülfü Livaneli brings to life the fascinating later days of the overthrown sultan, who precipitated the empire’s collapse. Based on the memoirs of Atıf Hüseyin Bey, personal physician to Abdülhamid and his entourage in exile, this vibrant historical novel explores the nature of power while painting a nuanced psychological portrait of the man who oversaw progressive reforms yet became known as the “Red Sultan” for the Armenian massacres during his reign.