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"From the acclaimed author of The Bastard of Istanbul, a colorful, magical tale set during the height of the Ottoman Empire In her latest novel, Turkey's preeminent female writer spins an epic tale spanning nearly a century in the life of the Ottoman Empire. In 1540, twelve-year-old Jahan arrives in Istanbul. As an animal tamer in the sultan's menagerie, he looks after the exceptionally smart elephant Chota and befriends (and falls for) the sultan's beautiful daughter, Princess Mihrimah. A palace education leads Jahan to Mimar Sinan, the empire's chief architect, who takes Jahan under his wing as they construct (with Chota's help) some of the most magnificent buildings in history. Yet even as they build Sinan's triumphant masterpieces-the incredible Suleymaniye and Selimiye mosques-dangerous undercurrents begin to emerge, with jealousy erupting among Sinan's four apprentices. A memorable story of artistic freedom, creativity, and the clash between science and fundamentalism, Shafak's intricate novel brims with vibrant characters, intriguing adventure, and the lavish backdrop of the Ottoman court, where love and loyalty are no match for raw power"--… (més)
Historical fiction rarely has both a compelling story and a wealth of interesting historical detail - it usually relies on one or the other. Not so this book. Elif Shafak has managed to construct a colourful picture of the Ottoman Empire at its most powerful, and of Istanbul as the magical centre of the realm observed from the outer circles of the imperial palace. The book also contains interesting thoughts on the price one's talent and vocation can exact on one's life. ( )
Taking place in the sixteenth century, this novel about a clever young boy and his elephant portrays a bustling Istanbul, opulent palaces and mosques, and a cast of colorful characters. Jahan, arriving from India, catches the eye of the Chief Royal Architect, with whom he becomes apprenticed. Chota, his elephant, arriving on the same boat from India, becomes both very useful in building mosques and a favorite of the Palace. Early in the book, Sinan, the Master tells Jahan, "Sometimes for the soul to thrive the heart needs to be broken." He refers here to the art of building only to see a masterpiece destroyed. As a theme, however, it characterizes the trials and tribulations Jahan faces as he grows from a boy to a man. The first half of the story went slowly for me, but it picked up momentum as it unfolded. ( )
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At one glance I loved you with a thousand hearts ... Let the zealots think loving is sinful Never mind, Let me burn in the hellfire of that sin. — Mihri Hatun, sixteenth-century Ottoman poetess
I have searched the world and found nothing worthy of love, hence I am a stranger amid my kinfolk and an exile from their company. — Mirabai, sixteenth-century Hindu poetess
Dedicatòria
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For apprentices everywhere — no one told us that love was the hardest craft to master
Primeres paraules
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Of all the people God created and Sheitan led astray, only a few have discovered the Centre of the Universe — where there is no good and no evil, no past and no future, no 'I' and no 'thou', no war and no reason for war, just an endless sea of calm.
Citacions
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He could not help but think if human beings could only live more like animals, without a thought to the past or the future, and without rounds of lies and deceit, this world would be a more peaceful place, and perhaps a happier one.
Darreres paraules
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When I think of this world in such a way, I feel dazed and disoriented, and cannot tell any longer where the future begins and the past ends; where the West falls and the East rises.
"From the acclaimed author of The Bastard of Istanbul, a colorful, magical tale set during the height of the Ottoman Empire In her latest novel, Turkey's preeminent female writer spins an epic tale spanning nearly a century in the life of the Ottoman Empire. In 1540, twelve-year-old Jahan arrives in Istanbul. As an animal tamer in the sultan's menagerie, he looks after the exceptionally smart elephant Chota and befriends (and falls for) the sultan's beautiful daughter, Princess Mihrimah. A palace education leads Jahan to Mimar Sinan, the empire's chief architect, who takes Jahan under his wing as they construct (with Chota's help) some of the most magnificent buildings in history. Yet even as they build Sinan's triumphant masterpieces-the incredible Suleymaniye and Selimiye mosques-dangerous undercurrents begin to emerge, with jealousy erupting among Sinan's four apprentices. A memorable story of artistic freedom, creativity, and the clash between science and fundamentalism, Shafak's intricate novel brims with vibrant characters, intriguing adventure, and the lavish backdrop of the Ottoman court, where love and loyalty are no match for raw power"--
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