Midnight at the Pera Palace

When the Ottoman Empire collapsed, so many spies mingled in the lobby of Istanbul's Pera Palace Hotel that the manager put up a sign asking them to relinquish seats to paying guests.As the multi-ethnic empire became a Turkish republic, Russian emigres sold family heirlooms, an African American impresario founded a jazz club and Miss Turkey became the first Muslim beauty queen. Turkey's president Kemal Atatuerk, Muslim feminist Halide Edip, the exiled Leon Trotsky and the future Pope John XXIII fought for new visions of human freedom. During the Second World War, German intellectuals ran from the Nazis while Jewish activists spirited refugees out of occupied Europe. This pioneering portrait of urban reinvention re-creates an era when an ancient city became a global crossroads-a moment when Europe's closest Muslim metropolis became its vital port of refuge.

About the author

Charles King is a professor of international affairs and government at Georgetown University. A frequent media commentator on global issues, he is the author of Gods of the Upper Air, Odessa, Midnight in the Pera Palace, and other books. He lives in Washington, DC.

Product details

• Authors: Charles King, Charles (Georgetown University) King
• Publisher: Norton and Co Ltd
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 30.11.2015
• EAN: 9780393351866
• ISBN: 978-0-393-35186-6
• Dimensions: 142 mm x 212 mm x 30 mm
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Regional and national histories; Non-fiction book > History > 20th century (up to 1945); European History, HISTORY / Europe / General, 20th Century, 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000, Turkey, 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999, Türkiye / Turkey