Bliss

Bliss

by O.Z.Livaneli (Author)

Synopsis

Meryem, a teenage girl living in a rural village, is raped by her uncle, a sheikh in a dervish order. An outcast for shaming her family, she is locked in the cellar and expected to kill herself, but she is defiant. Her commando cousin Cemal, with whom she grew up, has returned a hero from fighting terrorists in the mountains. He is chosen to execute his cousin outside the town, telling her he is going to take her to Istanbul. In Istanbul, Irfan, a media celebrity professor, revolts against the routine of his elite existence. He leaves his wife and charters a boat to sail the Aegean. By chance, his path crosses with that of Meryem and Cemal. They embark on a journey together that fills their hearts with hope and sets them free. This simple Middle Eastern tale captures universal truths as it brings attention to human rights violations against women.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 288
Edition: 1st U.S. Ed
Publisher: Saint Martin's Press Inc.
Published: 24 Nov 2006

ISBN 10: 0312360533
ISBN 13: 9780312360535

Media Reviews
A brutal rape and the subsequent death sentence on the defiled girl draws one into the disparate worlds of traditional and modern Turkey. This exciting, sensitively written novel educates and illuminates not only the plight of women but also a society in conflict. --Barbara Goldsmith, Author and Historian Livaneli is an essential force in Turkey's musical, cultural and political scene. --Orhan Pamuk, author of the national bestseller, Snow The intersecting destinies of the three heroes present a portrait of Turkey at once tender and compassionate. I am sure they will have a deep influence upon French readers just as they have conquered the hearts of more than a hundred thousand of your compatriots. --President Jacques Chirac of France in a letter to the author Livaneli's novel paints a picture of contemporary Turkey and its archaic culture and shows how torn this country and its people are Livaneli reveals the beauty and violence of this country, as well as how much collective obedience, respect and honor mold people and keep them from their happiness. This novel is smart, honest, and a singular occurrence in Turkish literature. It allows us to understand Turkey and its people a little better and sympathize with them. --Necla Kelek, German-Turkish sociologist and author of the bestsellers The Foreign Brides and The Lost Sons Lyrical, poetic, and magical!.... Livaneli is an extraordinary writer and a master of language, who describes in this book an incredibly violent but at the same time magical, almost surreal world. I like the way he depicts the real and the unknown life of the simple people who live deep within the East with their own age-old codes of life they show their own 'truth' about life and death, their own views about right and wrong . You will read this book in one breath, without a pause. --Mikis Theodorakis, composer of Zorba the Greek
Author Bio
O.Z. Livaneli is one of Turkey's most prominent and popular authors as well as an accomplished musician and composer, whose works have been recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra. He was held under military detention during the coup of March 12, 1971 and lived in exile for eight years. He studied music in Stockholm, then lived in Paris and Athens, returning to Turkey in 1984. He was one of the founders of the Turkish-Kurdish Peace Movement and the initiator of the Campaign Against Violence in Turkey, and he has made significant contributions to the Greek-Turkish Frienship Committee. He was elected a Member of Parliament in 2002.