The Turks Today

Description

Eighty years have passed since Mustafa Kemal Ataturk founded the Turkish Republic out of the ruins of the Ottoman Empire and set it on the path of modernisation. He was determined that his country should be accepted as a member of the family of civilised nations. Today Turkey is a rapidly developing country, an emergent market and a medium-sized regional power with the second strongest army in NATO. It is an open country which attracts millions of tourists, thousands of foreign businessmen and hundreds of researchers. They enjoy Turkish hospitality and experience its rich landscape and history, but many find it hard to form an overall picture of the country. In this sequel to his acclaimed biography of Ataturk, Andrew Mango provides such an overall portrait, tracing the republic's development since the death of its founder and bringing to life the Turkish people and their vibrant society. The Turks Today interprets the latest academic research for a broader audience, making this highly readable book the authoritative work on modern Turkey.

Andrew Mango was born in Istanbul. He complemented his knowledge of Turkish by studying Persian and Arabic at the School of Oriental Studies in London. From 1947 to 1986 he worked at the BBC, retiring as Head of South European and French Language Services. He has since been engaged full-time in the study of Turkish affairs, his most recent book being 'Turkey! The Challenge of a New Role'. He lives in London.

'Mango's book is a masterful overview of this period in Turkey's history' -- Sunday Times 20050522 'Andrew Mango gives excellent descriptions of [Ankara and Istanbul] ... he sees Turkey as a success story ... he writes with elegance and conciseness ... The result, at last, is a book that people on their way to Turkey can pick up and read on the plane ... [Turkey's] recent past deserves a proper, sympathetic examination, and a proper, well-informed book to make this possible. It has, at least, got one.' -- Literary Review 20040801 'To his credit, modern Turkey's great champion never acts as its apologist ... He is also impressively up to date ... authoritative and illuminating' -- Sunday Times 20040829 'A swift, potted history of the Turkish political roller coaster.' -- Financial Times 20040828 'Andrew Mango knows Turkey well.' -- The Spectator 20040821 'Andrew Mango's portrait of contemporary Turkey is probably the most successful general introduction to the country for several decades.' -- The Tablet 20040807 'He paints a broad and accessible picture, shrewdly gleaned from his insider-outsider dual perspective ... The Turks Today unfolds as a balanced, coherent primer for serious travellers with an itch to read the hidden lie of the land, and for inquisitive general readers.' -- Scotland on Sunday 20040815