House with Wisteria: Memoirs of Halide Edib

This is an autobiography of Halide Edib, a Turkish woman who was born in 1884, in the last days of the Ottoman empire, and who grew up to play an active vigorous role in the modernization of Turkey. As well, she was a journalist, novelist and playwright. This memoir falls naturally into two parts. The first part is a fascinating view from the inside of the life of a girl and young woman growing up in the last years of traditional Ottoman Turkey. Her story is rich with character, detail, and color and she tells it with the skill of a novelist. The second part of the memoir describes her life as a wife and mother and as a participant and observer in the difficult modernization Turkey’s political and educational systems. A helpful introduction is provided by Sibel Erol, Lecturer in Turkish Studies at New York University.