Top World Fiction for Fall

摘要

Finally available in English, this 1943 Turkish classic from a journalist twice imprisoned for his political views limns the emotionally wrought relationship between a reserved young Turkish man and an unconventional woman artist in interwar Berlin. The novel starts somewhat slowly as a narrator introduces us to his colleague Raif Efendi, invisible at work and used badly at home. But when Raif takes over the narration, explaining that as a young man he traveled to Berlin to learn a new language and see the larger world, the story picks up speed, depth, and flair. To a naif from the Turkish countryside, the 1920s Berlin intimately detailed here initially proves overwhelming. At an art exhibit, he is enthralled by the portrait of a woman in a fur coat, then meets and falls for artist Maria Puder herself. Maria has strong views about men and relationships that will resonate with contemporary readers, and her affair with Raif unfolds cautiously. But their long-term plans are thwarted when they fail to reconnect after Raif is called back to Turkey, and his heartbreak is moving and palpable. VERDICT Ali's affecting story of love and loss is both timeless and grounded in its distinctive setting, with sometimes old-fashioned charm that will appeal to many readers.