{"product_id":"felatun-bey-and-rakim-efendi-an-ottoman-novel-paperback","title":"Felâtun Bey and Râkim Efendi: An Ottoman Novel - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eAhmet Mithat Efendi\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eMelih Levi\u003c\/b\u003e (Translator), \u003cb\u003eMonica M. Ringer\u003c\/b\u003e (Translator)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAhmet Midhat Efendi's famous 1875 novel \u003ci\u003eFelâtun Bey and Râkim Efendi\u003c\/i\u003e takes place in late nineteenth-century Istanbul and follows the lives of two young men who come from radically different backgrounds. Râkim Efendi is an erudite, self-made man, one who is ambitious and cultivated enough to mingle with a European crowd. In contrast, Felâtun Bey is a spendthrift who lacks intellectual curiosity and a strong work ethic. Squandering his wealth and education, he leads a life of decadence. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe novel traces Râkim and Felâtun's relationships with multiple characters, charting their romances and passions, as well as their foibles and amusing mishaps as they struggle to find and follow their own path through the many temptations and traps of European culture. The author creates a rich portrait of stratified Ottoman life through a diverse and colorful cast of characters--from a French piano teacher and an Arab nanny, to a Circassian slave girl--each deftly navigating the shifting mores of their social class. Written during the Ottoman Empire's uneasy transition to modernity, the novel's protagonists embody both the best and worst elements of two worlds, European and Ottoman. The novel provides readers with an elegant yet powerful appeal for progressive reforms and individual freedoms. Levi and Ringer's fluid translation of this Ottoman classic stands as a landmark in the history of Turkish literature in translation.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAhmet Midhat Efendi\u003c\/b\u003e (1844-1912) was a journalist, novelist, playwright, translator, and social critic who authored more than two hundred original works. He wrote for and edited the Tercümani Hakikat, the most influential and longest-running Ottoman newspaper. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eMelih Levi\u003c\/b\u003e received his BA from Amherst College, where he studied English literature. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eMonica M. Ringer\u003c\/b\u003e is professor of Middle Eastern history at Amherst College. She is the author of \u003ci\u003ePious Citizens: Reforming Zoroastrianism in India and Iran.\u003c\/i\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 198\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.44 x 9.07 x 6.02 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e March 14, 2016\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44304667639910,"sku":"9780815610649","price":22.55,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0599\/7255\/0758\/files\/TUszZlc3VTJFWDE5akt1VzdYYUtzZz09.webp?v=1767621326","url":"https:\/\/infinitylightwa.com\/products\/felatun-bey-and-rakim-efendi-an-ottoman-novel-paperback","provider":"Infinity Light","version":"1.0","type":"link"}