This gripping novel propels the reader back into the 16th century and the opulence of the empire that ruled the civilized world for several centuries from its Turkish center. The lives of three people -- the Emperor Suleyman, and two former slaves, his wife Hurrem and his Prime Minister Ibrahim -- become intertwined in a lifetime of passion, conflict, conquest and defeat that was the political motor force of European, African and Middle Eastern history. It would end with murder in a fit of violent jealousy. Louis Gardel's style is as stark as the emotions of his main characters and the society and time in which they lived. Cruel practices ruled this center of power, where the victors often physically eliminated not only their rivals but also all of their rivals' male relatives to forestay any eventual challenges to their new rule. High civil servants were appointed then beheaded if they made costly mistakes, plots and machinations in the harem often led to exile or execution, tasters met their fate eating poisoned food destined for their masters, and so on. The center of the Turkish Empire was aswirl with finery and degradation, lofty poetic ideals and base plots, devotion to the Q'ran and devious ignorance of its teachings. It was a place, a time, and a civilization, still not quite understood by Americans, and it spawned a culture we continue to ignore at our own risk. This personal and historical tragedy, played out on the spectacular backdrop of Islam's struggle with other cultures, has been recounted many times in various literary forms and in many langages. This fictionalized version by Louis Gardel is perhaps the truest of all.

Dawn of the Beloved: A Novel of Suleyman the Magnificent and the Rise of the Ottoman Empire

Literature & Fiction

Gardel, Louis

Literary

Robert Davies Pub

Beau Rle(le) (French Edition)

Contemporary

Contemporary French Fiction

Dar baroud

Le seuil / Points

Louis Gardel signe avec La Baie d’Alger un roman autobiographique sur son enfance et son adolescence en Algérie.Le narrateur est né en Algérie quand elle était française. Il sort de l’adolescence alors que la guerre d’indépendance commence. Un soir, devant la baie d’Alger, il est traversé par la certitude que l’univers où il a grandi est condamné à disparaître. Mais, à quinze ans, la lucidité est une vertu encombrante. Il préfère les élans de son âge. Tenter de séduire les filles. Discuter avec Solal, camarade de classe et frère d’élection. S’enflammer pour Proust grâce à un éblouissant professeur qui mène, hors du lycée, de mystérieuses activités. Pêcher avec Bouarab sur la plage de Surcouf. Découvrir que les gens ne sont jamais ce qu’on croit qu’ils sont. Cependant, la violence des événements s’accélère. Comment résister? Dans cet apprentissage, Zoé, sa grand-mère, l’accompagne. Généreuse, elle reste aussi proche du président Steiger, le meneur des colons, que du garçon arabe avec qui elle partage son café du matin. Elle avance, avec sa force de vie, sans gémir sur le paradis perdu.

La Baie d'Alger

SEUIL

POINTS

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