Review
“Superb—deliciously dense with detail and sheer narrative force as Charles King tells the twentieth-century history of the Near East through the prism of one great city. A sepia-toned classic!” (Robert D. Kaplan, author of The Revenge of Geography and Eastward to Tartary)
“Popular history at its best, authoritative and hugely entertaining. Few places were as colorful as Istanbul between the wars and Professor King captures all the chaotic brio and contradictions of a city, and a culture, reinventing itself.” (Joseph Kanon, author of Istanbul Passage)
“In this memorably distilled history, Charles King tells us just what the Pera Palace was—the ornately decaying hotel crouched at the center of a mare’s nest of intrigue, violence, sex, and espionage, all set against the slow dimming of Ottoman magnificence. I loved this book.” (Simon Winchester, author of Krakatoa and The Map that Changed the World)
“This social history of one of the world’s most fascinating cities is as illuminating as it is entertaining. Characters from Trotsky to Hemingway, from a blind Armenian musician to a future pope, help tell the story of how Istanbul transformed itself from a refugee-clogged backwater into a vibrant metropolis.
Midnight at the Pera Palace is a true Turkish delight.” (Stephen Kinzer, author of Crescent and Star: Turkey Between Two Worlds and Reset)
“A diverse cast, ranging from Muslim beauty queens and Georgian royalty to Leon Trotsky, have left their mark on Istanbul, and King nimbly weaves their threads with enough color to draw in general readers and enough detail to satisfy specialists.” (Publishers Weekly)
“Elegant… multiple biographies unfold against the backdrop of an old city’s growing pains.” (Kate Tuttle - Boston Globe)
“An engaging, detailed look at the old city that became the newest of them all.” (Melissa Davis - Seattle Times)
About the Author
Charles King is a professor of international affairs at Georgetown University. A frequent media commentator on global issues, he is the author of Odessa, Midnight in the Pera Palace, and other books. He lives in Washington, DC.
