On the Back of the Tiger

Synopsis

A literary tour-de-force, this vivid account of an infamous Ottoman sultan’s life in exile is also a powerful indictment of the hypocrisies of the West, from the internationally bestselling author of Disquiet. Abdülhamid II ruled the Ottoman Empire for thirty-three years, from 1876 to 1909, when he was deposed following the Young Turk Revolution and sent into exile in Thessaloniki. Now, more than a century after that fateful night of April 27, Zülfü Livaneli brings to life the fascinating later days of the overthrown sultan, who precipitated the empire’s collapse.