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Human Landscapes from My Country

An Epic Novel in Verse
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( 1,901 ratings, 112 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Human Landscapes from My Country is a verse-novel by Nazim Hikmet, crafted during his imprisonment in the Second World War. Using cinematic techniques, it narrates the rise of secular, modern Turkey through a series of captivating stories from diverse characters. These rapid vignettes not only depict the nation's transformation but also reflect the broader twentieth-century struggle between tradition and modernity.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$6899
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book will appeal to readers interested in historical literature, political and social change, and poetic storytelling with a cinematic flair.

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The complete English translation of Nazim Hikmet's epic masterwork.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Written during the Second World War while Hikmet was serving a thirteen-year sentence as a political prisoner, his verse-novel uses cinematic techniques to tell the story of the emergence of secular, modern Turkey by focusing on the always-entertaining stories of sundry characters from all walks of life.

As his vignettes flash before our eyes at movie-like speed, it becomes clear he is also telling the turbulent story of the twentieth century itself and the ongoing struggle between tradition, which trusts in God, and modernity, which entrusts the world to human hands.

Human Landscapes from My Country masterfully weaves together these narratives to provide a vivid panorama of a nation and an era in transition.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Raymond Carver praised the work as "One of the great works of modern literature."

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780892553495

Publisher: Persea Books Inc

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 06 January 2009

Country: United States

Imprint: Persea Books Inc

Contributors:

  • Translated by Mutlu Konuk Blasing
  • Foreword by Edward Hirsch
  • Translated by Randy Blasing
  • Translated by Randy Blasing
  • Translated by Mutlu Konuk Blasing

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 33.0mm

Width: 155.0mm

Height: 229.0mm

Weight: 657g

Pages: 480

About the Author

Nazim Hikmet is considered Turkey's greatest modern poet. For his Communist views, he was imprisoned in Turkey and his work was banned. His poetry has been translated into more than fifty languages. He won the World Peace Prize (the USSR's equivalent of the Nobel) in 1950. He died in 1963 in exile. Randy Blasing, a former National Endowment for the Arts Translation Fellow, is the author of seven books of poetry, including Choice Words: Poems 1970-2005. He is also the eminent translator, alongside Mutlu Konuk, of the renowned Turkish poet Nazim Hikmet. He lives in Lincoln, Rhode Island. Mutlu Konuk Blasing, a native of Istanbul, is Professor of English at Brown University. Her books include Lyric Poetry: The Pain and the Pleasure of Words. She is the co-translator (with Randy Blasing) of the renowned English translations of Nazim Hikmet, and the author of four scholarly books on American poetry. Edward Hirsch has published seven books of poems, including Special Orders. He lives in New York City.

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