Istanbul, Bettany Hughes
Istanbul, Bettany Hughes
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Istanbul
A Tale of Three Cities

Author: Bettany Hughes

Narrator: Bettany Hughes

Unabridged: 24 hr 35 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Da Capo Press

Published: 09/12/2017


Synopsis

Istanbul has long been a place where stories and histories collide, where perception is as potent as fact.

From the Koran to Shakespeare, this city with three names--Byzantium, Constantinople, Istanbul -- resonates as an idea and a place, real and imagined. Standing as the gateway between East and West, North and South, it has been the capital city of the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman Empires. For much of its history it was the very center of the world, known simply as "The City," but, as Bettany Hughes reveals, Istanbul is not just a city, but a global story.

In this epic new biography, Hughes takes us on a dazzling historical journey from the Neolithic to the present, through the many incarnations of one of the world's greatest cities--exploring the ways that Istanbul's influence has spun out to shape the wider world. Hughes investigates what it takes to make a city and tells the story not just of emperors, viziers, caliphs, and sultans, but of the poor and the voiceless, of the women and men whose aspirations and dreams have continuously reinvented Istanbul.

Written with energy and animation, award-winning historian Bettany Hughes deftly guides readers through Istanbul's rich layers of history. Based on meticulous research and new archaeological evidence, this captivating portrait of the momentous life of Istanbul is visceral, immediate, and authoritative -- narrative history at its finest.

About Bettany Hughes

Bettany Hughes is an award-winning historian, author and broadcaster. Her previous books include Venus and Aphrodite (shortlisted for the Runciman Award), Istanbul (a Sunday Times bestseller and shortlisted for the Runciman Award), The Hemlock Cup (a New York Times bestseller and shortlisted for the Writers Guild award) and Helen Of Troy. All her books have been translated into multiple languages. She has made many documentaries for the BBC, Channel 4, PBS, National Geographic, ABC and the Discovery and History channels. Bettany has been a Professor at the New College of Humanities and Research Fellow at King's College London. She has been honoured with numerous awards including the Medlicott Medal for services to history, Europe's Cultural Heritage Prize and an OBE for services to history.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Alexandra on December 12, 2017

This book was sent to me by the publisher, Hachette, at no cost. This review first appeared in the History Teachers of Victoria journal Agora. If you are especially keen on the history of the Byzantine Empire, or the Eastern Roman Empire, like me you might have bought the classic John Julius Norwich......more

Goodreads review by Melindam on November 17, 2024

My GR friend, Cat called this a biography of the city and it's absolutely fitting. Byzantium/Constantinople/Istanbul is a character in itself with fascinating identities and fascinating stories and histories. It's clear that author Bettany Hughes knows the city intimately and loves it devotedly. The......more

Goodreads review by Oleksandr on October 03, 2020

This is a detailed history narrative about what is now called Istanbul, from the first wooden coffin (8000 old) found on its territories up to protests on Taksim Square in the early 21st century. I read is as a part of monthly reading for September 2020 (okay, finished in October) at Non Fiction Bo......more

Goodreads review by Alex on May 20, 2019

I am very disappointed by this book... such potential to be good, and just was not interesting at all.......more


Quotes

"Groundbreaking...a colossal undertaking...a notable achievement"--Roger Crowley, bestselling author of 1453

"Impressive. In Istanbul, Hughes plays intriguing, sophisticated games with time and space.... By making unlikely connections between well-described locations and events separated by eons, she gives voice to those witchy, diachronic feelings in a spectacular fashion."--The Economist

"Richly entertaining and impeccably researched. Hughes's ebullient book is an ode to three incarnations of the city."--Peter Frankopan, author of the international bestseller The Silk Roads

"Brimming with brio and incident...life-filled and life-affirming history, steeped in romance and written with verve"--Justin Marozzi, award-winning author of Baghdad

"Mesmerizing... Weaves research and insight with understanding and love: here is a book written as much with the heart as the mind."--Elif Shafak, award-winning author of The Bastard of Istanbul

"Shows readers how a prehistoric settlement evolved through the centuries into a great metropolis, the crossroads where East meets West."—New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice)

"Curiously gripping...[Hughes] establishes just how deep the Greek roots of the settlement called Byzantion went...She has a fine feel for the complexities and shadings of that distant past...Hughes's tone is both scholarly and rich in visual detail...Show[s] how intricate and improbable Istanbul's history has been."—New York Times Book Review

"[A] marvelous new book...[by] one of Britain's most successful television historians...[An] ambitious enterprise...Vivid and readable prose...[A] wonderful evocation of Istanbul's glittering past."

Wall Street Journal

"Hughes is not an argumentative historian. She avoids the debates of academe. She is a wistful and impassioned cosmopolitan who has produced a challenging story."—Financial Times

"A deeply researched biography of a legendary city...A panoramic cultural history of a fascinating place."
Kirkus Reviews