Everyday life in Turkey is chaotic and confusing, as the changes wrought by Ataturk are in direct conflict with the religious requirements of Islam. Modernity and tradition collide so the only way to live without going insane from the contradictions is to trust in fate, along with everyone else. The English department I worked in was a microcosm of the larger population, where religious nationalists fought modernist nationalists, good Muslim girls sided with feminists and I just tried to make sense of it all.
Now I live in Istanbul. For most people, Istanbul is synonymous with its world famous sights, the Haghia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and Dolmabahçe Palace. Few tourists manage to go beyond the beauty of the historical district of Sultanahmet to visit the other face of Istanbul. Yet a short ferry ride from the Bosphorus to the Sea of Marmara brings you to the shores of Asia, to an Istanbul that is vibrantly alive with the sounds of street vendors, wedding parties, dog walkers and more.
In order to introduce people to the other Istanbul, I have written a collection of short stories called Inside Out In Istanbul. These stories take the reader beyond the tourist façades deep into this sometimes chaotic, often schizophrenic but always charming city. I have posted Babil Sokak on World Nomads to give people a taste of what they can expect. To buy a copy of Inside Out In Istanbul click on the link below
http://www.bookshop.unimelb.edu.au/bookshop/p?9781921775604
You can also hear me being interviewed by Geraldine Doogue
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/saturdayextra/stories/2008/2157601.htm
I am currently putting the finishing touches to my manuscript Turkey: Place of My Heart samples of which can be read on World Nomads. If you are interested in what I have written or would like to know more, please contact me at Goreme1990@hotmail.com
