My Bewilderment — Omar Khayyam
I was disturbed that he brought me into being, and nothing has grown through my life like my bewilderment at …
Category Archives: Books
Waiting
I am standing, waiting for a bird to breathe. The loudest noise is of shadows leaping leaves. The colors are …
A Mind at Peace — But Not So We’d Know it; A Novel from Turkey
There is the old adage ‘If you can’t say something nice, don’t say it at all’ which is at least …
Destiny – A Poem, Miquel Labordeta
You know my friends we won’t be back again,. The virtue of the rain is annihilated in the suns and …
Swords of Ice: A Modern Novel from Turkey
When we move from country to country, culture to culture we recognize many things in their generalities: carpets, clothes, foods, …
War in Afganistan, 1841 — The Widow’s Husband
Tamim Ansary, Afghan-American since childhood, and author of the very fine Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World through Islamic …
Carlos Fuentes: Passing On
Many obituaries for Mexico’s famed novelist and social critic, Carlos Fuentes. Here is what the Washington Post writes. Mr. Fuentes …
Paris — A Poem by Cahit Külebi
Paris by Cahit Külebi, translated by Vicki Tuncer and Baran Tuncer When someone mentions Paris, I think of a woman …
Turkey: The Islands
It’s raining on the Sea of Marmara. It’s raining and cold. The warm cocoon of the ferry boat, on …
The Crimean War: Orlando Figes
In 1853 the United States was 8 years away from a civil war. Napoleon had been defeated at Waterloo only …
The Idle Years — A Short Novel from Turkey
Orhan Kemal would not be one of the widely known names of Turkish literature in the West, unlike his semi name-share, …
The Land of Rumi
We are in Cappadocia, the land of Rumi, central Turkey, after a week in Istanbul. The incredible “fairy towers” are …