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Paradise Lost: Smyrna 1922 - The Destruction of Islam's City of Tolerance [Paperback]

Giles Milton (Author)

4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)

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Book Description

Publication Date: 28 May 2009

On Saturday 9th September, 1922, the victorious Turkish cavalry rode into Smyrna, the richest and most cosmopolitan city in the Ottoman Empire. What happened over the next two weeks must rank as one of the most compelling human dramas of the twentieth century. Almost two million people were caught up in a disaster of truly epic proportions.

PARADISE LOST is told with the narrative verve that has made Giles Milton a bestselling historian. It unfolds through the memories of the survivors, many of them interviewed for the first time, and the eyewitness accounts of those who found themselves caught up in one of the greatest catastrophes of the modern age.

#outer_postBodyPS { display: none; } #psGradient { display: none; } #psPlaceHolder { display: none; } #psExpand { display: none; } On Saturday 9th September, 1922, the victorious Turkish cavalry rode into Smyrna, the richest and most cosmopolitan city in the Ottoman Empire. What happened over the next two weeks must rank as one of the most compelling human dramas of the twentieth century. Almost two million people were caught up in a disaster of truly epic proportions.

PARADISE LOST is told with the narrative verve that has made Giles Milton a bestselling historian. It unfolds through the memories of the survivors, many of them interviewed for the first time, and the eyewitness accounts of those who found themselves caught up in one of the greatest catastrophes of the modern age.

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Product details

Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Sceptre (28 May 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 034083787X
ISBN-13: 978-0340837870
Product Dimensions: 13 x 2.8 x 19.5 cm

Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 24,175 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #6 in Books > History > Countries & Regions > Asia > Middle East > Turkey
- #24 in Books > History > Europe > Inter-war Period 1919-1938

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Review

'Giles Milton . . . has crafted an inspiration for those of us who believe that history can be exciting and entertaining' (The Times )

'Giles Milton's brilliant re-creation of the last days of Smyrna' (Sunday Times )

'Giles Milton's powerful narrative of the ensuing humanitarian catastrophe is compelling . . . incidents of heroism among the carnage, give this tale of ethnic cleansing a rare immediacy.' (Telegraph )

'Engrossing . . . Milton's book celebrates the heroism of individuals who put lives before ideologies' (Independent )

'The sack of that famously cosmopolitan city . . . makes a compelling story. It is also a strikingly neglected one . . . Milton's considerable achievement is to deliver with characteristic clarity and colour this complex epic narrative . . . Milton brings commendable impartiality to his thoroughly researched book . . . PARADISE LOST proves a timely examination of a defining moment in the history of ethnic and religious conflict' (Sunday Telegraph )

'PARADISE LOST is a timely reminder of the appalling cost of expansionist political ambitions; it tells a fascinating story with clarity and insight' (Economist )

'PARADISE LOST is essential reading for anyone who cares about the past - and present - of today's Europe, indeed of civilisation itself' (Adam LeBor, Literary Review )

'Giles Milton . . . has written his best book to date' (Scotland on Sunday )

'[Milton is] a master of historical narrative' (The Sunday Times )

'Milton has a terrific eye for the kind of detail that can bring the past vividly to life off the page . . . restores an exotic lustre' (Spectator )

'Milton is a great storyteller . . . he conjures mood from dry parchment' (Express on Sunday )

'Milton has written a grimly memorable book' (William Dalrymple, Sunday Times )

About the Author

Giles Milton is a writer and historian. He is the bestselling author of Nathaniel's Nutmeg, Big Chief Elizabeth, The Riddle and the Knight, White Gold, Samurai William, Paradise Lost and, most recently, Wolfram. He has also written two novels and two children's books, one of them illustrated by his wife Alexandra. He lives in South London.

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63 of 65 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A gripping account of a forgotten but tragic chapter: oh that we would learn the lessons of geopolitical meddling... 4 Dec 2009

By Mark Meynell TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Every war has its unintended consequences, and the First World War was no exception. Perhaps its greatest aftershock was the collapse of the centuries-old Ottoman Empire, a fact that perfectly illustrates the complexities of a war that had been sparked by a political assassination in Bosnia and the aggression of Germany's Kaiser Bill. After years of the relatively quiet co-existence of different ethnic and religious groups, the new Turkish republic was carved out in the flames of terrible ethnic tension and indeed cleansing. No city represented the agony of this process more than Smyrna (modern Izmir). Smyrna had been the grandest of cities - huge, ancient, fabulously wealthy with department stores and opera houses, idyllic landscapes and above all, great diversity.

Giles Milton has written a well-crafted, multi-layered account of its fall in 1922. This involved painstaking research on the day-to-day events surrounding its destruction that terrible September - but without the wider national and international perspective, this would have remained simply a remote if chilling episode in increasingly distant history.

But Smyrna's fall was a crucial moment for so many reasons:

- it explains or illustrates so many of the geopolitical tensions that exist today: between Greeks and Turks (especially in Cyprus); within former Yugoslavia; the debates about Turkey joining the EU. Atrocities and follies were not isolated to one side or another - Greeks invaded Asia Minor in vain pursuit of the "Megali Idea" (the big idea). They sought to avenge the centuries of Ottoman suppression of Greek culture in the region by uniting the 1000s of ethnic Greeks with Athens.... The new Turkish nationalists were incensed by the occupation of Constantinople by the 1WW allies and the invasion by Greece. Roused by Ataturk, Smyrna was their greatest prize after Constantinople, being the richest trading city of the old empire. Milton convincingly explains that the city was certainly destroyed by Turkish soldiers, despite historical spin to the contrary - and the image of 1000s trapped in the small space between the burning buildings the harbour waters is truly pitiful. The fate of the hundreds of Armenians and Greeks sent on forced marches into the Turkish interior is too grim to imagine.

- it depicts the now lost but charmed existence of colonial life - the so-called Levantines (British, Americans, French, Italians etc) of Asia Minor lived in luxury and extraordinary wealth, strategically placed to capitalise on the European trade with the East. This was epitomised by the fact that there was even a district of the city inhabited by Americans actually called 'Paradise' (hence the book's title). Drawing on diaries and other first-hand accounts, Milton captures the atmosphere of denial and invincibility before Smyrna's inevitable fall.

- most significantly, to my mind however, is Milton's account of how the decisions of a precious few, secluded behind locked doors hundreds of miles away, can affect the fate of millions. Political compromises, prejudices and whims can have the equivalent of the Butterfly Effect. In particular, Lloyd-George bears much of the blame, easily swayed by the charm and rhetoric of Greek Prime Minister Venizelos and his romanticised notions of what Greece had been and should be - and he refused to listen to those who knew better. It took a simple telephone call from one prime minister to another to spark a 3-year conflict in Asia Minor, resulting in the deaths of 1000s, the enforced migration of 100,000s and the misery of millions. L-G is by no means the only one of course. But 'twas ever thus.

None of the principle actors comes out of this smelling of roses - the usual cocktail of pride, folly and passion is at play. But Milton highlights the heroics and nobility of some individuals: like the Ottoman governor of Smyrna, Rahmi Bey - an old Anglophile socially at ease with all the different cultures and groups of Smyrna, he actually resisted the orders to round up Armenians that came from the Sultanate in Constantinople. He even sought to negotiate with the British during the First World War in order to protect Smyrna's diverse population (despite this being treasonable once the Ottoman Empire had allied with the Kaiser). Or there was the decidedly unprepossessing American Methodist minister and YMCA employee, Asa Jennings. He found himself blagging his way into a temporary appointment as a Greek admiral in order to oversee the evacuation of hundreds of desperate refugees - an extraordinary story.

This is a brilliant and gripping book about a terrible time. Milton manages to glide between macro and micro levels with ease, and to my outsider's view (at least) seems sufficiently balanced and objective. But he also intersperses the grim realities with accounts of extraordinary coincidences, moments of absurdity and above all a very human story. Oh that we would learn of the dangers of ignorant war-mongering in distant realms... The story of Smyrna will not be known or remembered by many now (though it should be) - I certainly knew far too little about it. But what its destruction represents is all too contemporary... Iraq and Afghanistan anyone? Read more ›

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19 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A book with universal value 11 Oct 2009

By Aristotelis Gavriliadis

Format:Paperback

If you want to understand Turkish-Greek relations you should read "Paradise lost" along with "Twice a stranger" of Clark and "Echoes frome the green zone" from Papadakis. Paradise lost shows how crazy political choices can lead to destruction of millions of lives. The book concerns the destruction of the Greek and Levantine presence in Anatolia and Smyrna. But its value is universal: nationalism (Greek and Turkish), fanatism, religious rivalries, can lead to tragedies. Who started and who is responsible? The book does not give any answer but the conclusion I drew is universal: human stupidity and criminal political leaders, crowds ready to become barbaric,the yesterday victims becoming the monsters of today.

A big bravo to Milton who, after L. Smith's "Ionian vision" wrote "The Book" on 1922. Every Greek and Turk should read it and try to think on peace and friendship for the future.

Aristotelis Gavriliadis
Brussels

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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A balanced account of a dreadful episode 12 Oct 2009

By Mike Todd

Format:Paperback

Milton is to be congratulated on producing a well-written book, using a wide variety of sources. His narrative is gripping, yet he does not allow his story to become sloppy or sensational. He calmly reports eye-witness accounts and allows the reader to come to his/her own conclusions. All of this set within a wider context which allows the general reader to make sense of the tortuous politics of this part of the world in the years during and shortly after the First World War. A splendid achievement.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Another story from the century of conflict 2 Nov 2010

By John Middleton TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

Smyrna 1922 is upsetting to read: there is always a disaster lurking in the background, and when it happens it is horrible indeed. The consequences of war are all too often visited on innocent civilians in the wrong place at the wrong time, and this, the closing chapter of the Ottoman Empire, is no exception.

Giles Milton once again has picked out a little bit of history and expanded a complete story out of it (Nathaniel's Nutmeg is an example of a tiny hinge of fate, for instance). This time around, the focus is on Smyrna (Izmir), once a thriving trade port on the coast of Asia Minor. The Levantines - European expats - ran a mercantile community, employing a large chunk of the local populace. Smyrna was a mixed city, with Greeks, Armenians and Turks, as well as the Europeans, and a thriving American expat community.

All this was lost with the disastrous expedition into Anatolia by the Greek army in 1922. There is an early wrinkle in with the revocation of the concessions - trade relaxations - on which this foreign fortune was built, with this being a source of apparent pride among local Turks, but this merely silent foreshadowing of the disaster to come.

In between, we see Smyrna during WWI under Rahmi Bey, and under Greek annexation in 1919. Through all this there is a "ancien regime" feeling in the air: old power and wealth about to be lost in a sea of blood. As it turns out, the blood was largely shed by the servants of the Levantines - a point deftly made by Milton - and Smyrna stands a proxy for the genocide of the period, by Greek and Turk alike.

Others have covered the facts of the book neatly; I won't all over again in any greater detail than I have above.... Read more ›

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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, but not for the faint hearted! 30 May 2010

By Paul Coulter

Format:Paperback

I cannot praise Milton highly enough for this book. I have read all of his books and have enjoyed all with the possible exception of his novel, Edward Trencom's nose. As a writer of popular history he is (in my opionion, and I read this genre a lot) seciond to none. He brings together exquisite characterisation and a mastery of narrative flow that means the history really comes alive and I find myself really caring about what happened to the people he writes about.

This book is different from his earlier offerings because it brings us into the 20th Century and living memory (he includes quotations from a number of people who witnessed the events of the book as children). It is a gripping tale of tragic events that are often overlooked against the backdrop of the horrors of WW1 in Western Europe. The collapse of the Ottoman Empire had such massive consequences for the world and for the Middle East in particular.

At times I found myself wishing he would go further into some aspects of the historical context - I am fairly familiar with the historical rise of the Ottoman Empire and the collapse of Byzantium, but some readers may benefit froma brief summary of those events by way of background. Also, I thought he would at least pay passing mention to the fate of other Ottoman domains in the wider Middle East (notably Iraq and Palestine), although it may be argued that that would have been an unecessary distraction from the main focus of the book.

My only real criticism is the subtitle of the book: "The Destruction of Islam's City of Tolerance".... Read more ›

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5.0 out of 5 stars Paradise Lost: Smyrma 1922-The Destruction of Islam's City of....

I thought this was a very good read and found it very interesting, and it certainly puts the truth in perspective.

Published 2 months ago by Judith Howes

5.0 out of 5 stars Paradise Lost

If you are a Giles Milton fan like me this book will not disappoint. History written in narative form at it's best

Published 2 months ago by haytor

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling and well researched

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5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested. It opened my eye's and given me a different outlook in life and our world

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5.0 out of 5 stars Paradise Abandoned

Paradise Lost presents a unbiased account of the tragic events leading to the vengeful destruction of a civilization, over 3000 years in the making, yet reduced to rubble in just a... Read more

Published 8 months ago by LifeGoesOn

4.0 out of 5 stars History out of the ordinary

Giles Milton's Paradise Lost: Smyrna 1922 is an unusual book, exploring a terrible human catastrophe that has largely been overlooked by many historians. Read more

Published 8 months ago by Fredrik Kinell

5.0 out of 5 stars A history from the past - a lesson for the future

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A fantastic book examining one of the greatest ethnic and religious genocides of the 20th century, a genocide that was perpetrated by Turkey's greatest hero - Kemal Ataturk. Read more

Published 11 months ago by ralphy

5.0 out of 5 stars Paradise Lost

This is compulsory for those who want to understand current Greek problems.It is well crafted and reads like a thriller. Read more

Published 16 months ago by Theodore

5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant telling of a largley ignored slice of recent history

Cheekily called 'Paradise Lost', it's about a little known episode that explains the animosity between Greece and Turkey, which resulted in the troubles and division in Cyprus from... Read more

Published on 31 Mar 2011 by Martin

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