Young Turk

About the Book

Against the backdrop of Nazism, in a multi-racial Turkey giving sanctuary to many of Europe’s fleeing Jews, a group of teenage friends struggles to understand events while reeling from (and relishing) the sexual and emotional discoveries of adolescence.

An alluring woman initiates Mustafa and his classmates in the carnal delights of rose petal jam; Musa discovers the hard facts of reaching manhood when he is expelled from the women’s baths; Bilal, a 14-year-old Jewish boy, sets off for Greece to rescue his mother’s sister; and a circus orphan known only as ‘Girl’ falls head over heels for the new trapeze artist …

Young Turk is a wise, craftily spun and spine-tinglingly erotic tale of love, courage and the forging of conscience.

About the Author

Moris Farhi (1935–2019) was a writer and international human rights campaigner. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and a Vice-President of PEN International, he was appointed an MBE in 2001 for services to literature. His publications include four novels, Children of the Rainbow, Journey through the Wilderness, Young Turk and A Designated Man, and one poetry collection, Songs from Two Continents.

Reviews

'Farhi has an unbeatable and enthralling human touch which gives the glow of life to all he writes. This is a treasure of a novel.'
Alan Sillitoe

'Elegantly composed vignettes ... Intimate tales beautifully elucidate a richly heroic, romantically sensuous Turkish heritage.'
Kirkus Reviews

'An unforgettable coming-of-age story ... In this exuberant kaleidoscopic book, politics and history are just part of the grand, feverish swirl of life.'
New York Times

'Moris Farhi has written a joyous ode to diversity ... as a novel, Young Turk is a polyphonic bouquet.'
Le Monde

'In Farhi's writing there is a distinctive collision of traditions which results in something funny, political and unique.'
David Hare