Recommended literature
Recommended Turkish literature:
Mehmet, My Hawk by Yasar Kamal (translated by Thilda Kamal; The Harvill Press, 1997)
The story of a boy growing up in Anatolia who becomes a champion to the poor. Kamal is Turkey's best-known writer.
My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk (translated by Erdag Göknar;Faber and Faber, 2002)
A tale of intrigue and suspense set in 16th century Turkey
Portrait of a Turkish Family by Ifran Olga (Eland Books, 2002)
The acclaimed story of Olga's family's survival during the late Ottoman/early Republican Turkey
A Dot on the Map by Sait Faik (various translators, Indiana University Press, 1984)
Stories and poems written about Faik's travels around Istanbul and the islands in the Marmara Sea
The Delights of Turkey, by Edouard Roditi (New Directions Publishing, 1977)
A collection of prose poems by the important, although neglected, 20th century writer
Literature written in English about Turkey:
Turkey Unveiled: Atatürk and After, Nicole and Hugh Pope (John Murray, 1997)
Probably the best non-academic introduction to the country, with a somwhat gossip-like tone
Atatürk, the Rebirth of a Nation, Patrick Balfour Kinross (William Morrow, 1979)
This book has long been considered the definitive biography of Atatürk
The Turkish Embassy Letters by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (Virago Press, 1994)
Wortley Montagu's letters give a wonderful insight into life in the 19th century Ottoman Empire