Reading and Watching the World: Books, Film and Art
There's a whole world out there! I'm an experienced, UK-based editor and a bit of an aesthetic dilettante. I'm making it my off-duty duty to bring to your attention books, films, artists, music and TV from all over the world. Reviews are SPOILER FREE. New posts every week. See Reviews by country for my reviews from each nation.
To round off my few weeks of immersion in Turkish culture I prepared a delicious Turkish meze for my husband and me. I used the suggested Turkish meze menu from a great new cookbook, Ripe Figs by Yasmin Khan, which explores food and human stories from Turkey, Greece and Cyprus. I should make it clear …
Continue reading “A Turkish menu from ‘Ripe Figs’ by Yasmin Khan”
Gripping and thought-provoking prison memoir
An emotionally involving, well-reviewed Turkish television series currently screening on Netflix in the UK – Ethos (Bir Başkadır)
A fascinating reflection on the childhood of a Nobel-prize winning author and on the cultural history of Istanbul
I listened to some Turkish music and bands, from psychedelia to rap.
A book that mixes gritty reality with fable and a world of the imagination
A charming shortish documentary film on the street cats of Istanbul, and their relationships with the local people
NORTH AFRICA, MIDDLE EAST AND CENTRAL ASIA This is a bit of a throwback post, as some of it was first posted by me in 2019, and was in fact my fifth ever review on the blog. I’m re-posting with some additional discussion of publication prospects in the West for Turkish authors, as part of …
Continue reading “Elif Shafak’s novel ’10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World’ (Turkey)”
A classic Turkish novella largely set in Weimar Berlin
In late October 2021 Turkish Art Week’s inaugural exhibition was held over a period of five days at the Saatchi Gallery in London’s fancy Chelsea. The show was organized by online art gallery and arts consultancy Renko London, which was founded by the (rather glamorous) London-based Turkish artist Renk Erbil: “now it’s Turkish art’s time …
Continue reading “Turkish Art Week @ The Saatchi Gallery, London”
Reading and Watching the World: Books, Film and Art 