Best Books Set in Istanbul, Turkey

A Listmania! list by Charles (London)
 
Savarona
1.  Savarona by J. Patrick Hart
The list author says:
  "A smart literary thriller that can be read on several levels. This novel succeeds like no other in its brilliant evocation of modern-day Istanbul."
Used & New from: £15.15
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
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The Towers of Trebizond (New York Review Books Classics)
2.  The Towers of Trebizond (New York Review Books Classics) by Rose Macaulay
The list author says:
  "Something between a travelogue and a novel, set in Turkey in the 1950s. This is wry English writing at its best -- a classic."
Used & New from: £1.78
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
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Ataturk: A Biography of Mustafa Kemal, Father of Modern Turkey
3.  Ataturk: A Biography of Mustafa Kemal, Father of Modern Turkey by Patrick Balfour Kinross
The list author says:
  "As compelling a biography as you'll ever find, thanks both to the author's gripping narrative style and his fascinating subject -- one of the most important men of the 20th century."
Used & New from: £55.65
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Istanbul: Memories and the City
4.  Istanbul: Memories and the City by Orhan Pamuk
The list author says:
  "Portrait of an Artist as an Old City."
Used & New from: £16.44
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Scotch and Holy Water
5.  Scotch and Holy Water by John D. Tumpane
The list author says:
  "An obscure, witty account of life in Turkey, more likely to turn up on the dusty bookshelf of an Istanbul hostel than in any bookstore -- an inspired amateur's labor of love."
Used & New from: £10.49
3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
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Memed, My Hawk
6.  Memed, My Hawk by Yashar Kemal
The list author says:
  "The Great Turkish Novel, set in the rugged Taurus mountains in the 1930s. It remains today the essential entree into Turkish literature."
Used & New from: £5.80
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
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Crescent and Star: Turkey Between Two Worlds
7.  Crescent and Star: Turkey Between Two Worlds by Stephen Kinzer
The list author says:
  "An excellent introduction into Turkish politics and society from the former Istanbul bureau chief of the New York Times."
Used & New from: £0.01
3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
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Istanbul Intrigues
8.  Istanbul Intrigues by Barry M. Rubin
The list author says:
  "A hodgepodge of espionage stories that never quite lives up to its promise -- but a fun read nonetheless."
Used & New from: £20.12
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
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Turkish Reflections: A Biography of a Place
9.  Turkish Reflections: A Biography of a Place by Mary Lee Settle
The list author says:
  "A sometimes pretentious but ultimately successful travelogue by an ardent Turcophile. Her novel, Blood Tie, is also worth reading."
Used & New from: £0.01
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
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Midnight Express
10.  Midnight Express by Billy Hayes
The list author says:
  "The book that spawned the venomous movie and created a brutal -- and slanderous -- Turkish archetype. Unfair, to say the least. Don't buy -- borrow."
Used & New from: £12.97
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
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My Name Is Red
11.  My Name Is Red by Orhan Pamuk
The list author says:
  "Included out of obligation, in case the cognoscenti are right. The latest by Turkey's most celebrated writer -- possibly the least incomprehensible of all his dreary works."
Used & New from: £0.01
3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
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Birds Without Wings
12.  Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernieres
The list author says:
  "Like his earlier epic, Captain Corelli's Mandolin, it too is probably destined for eventual mediocrity on the big screen."
Used & New from: £3.41
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
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Middlesex
13.  Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
The list author says:
  "You didn't know it's about Turkey? It isn't really, except that the immigrant characters all hail from a place called Bursa -- an hour's drive east of Istanbul."
Used & New from: £0.01
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (86 customer reviews) | 1 customer discussion
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Siro
14.  Siro by David Ignatius
The list author says:
  "An obscure Istanbul-based Spy Novel from an author who has moved on to bigger and better things."
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Murder on the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot Mysteries)
15.  Murder on the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot Mysteries) by Agatha Christie
The list author says:
  "Penned by Agatha Christie in Istanbul's Pera Palas Hotel, which still takes guests today."
Used & New from: £0.01
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews) | 2 customer discussions
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Snow
16.  Snow by Orhan Pamuk
The list author says:
  "The usual tedium from Orhan Pamuk -- a blizzard of ideas, and a long, cold slog."
Used & New from: £1.39
3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
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The Emergence of Modern Turkey
17.  The Emergence of Modern Turkey by B. Lewis
The list author says:
  "If you can stay awake from beginning to end, you'll have earned your PhD in Turkish studies."
Used & New from: £1.87
3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
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Author
Charles (London)
Qualifications: Educator
Last updated: 10/01/2005
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