Constantinople- by Edmondo De Amicis- a review
‘Constantinople’ by Edmondo De Amicis- a review.
Edmondo De Amicis. Image source- https://c8.alamy.com/comp/2AGY5T9/edmondo-de-amicis-1846-1908-italian-novelist-journalist-and-poet-portrait-drawing-and-watercolor-by-the-spanish-illustrator-francisco-fonollosa-d-late-20th-century-2AGY5T9.jpg
Edmondo De Amicis is perhaps best known for his book ‘Cuore’ (The Heart) set in Italy during the time of the Italian unification. However, various scholars and authors universally contend that his masterpiece, his magnum opus, was not a travelogue he wrote in 1877 on his visit to Constantinople, today known as Istanbul.
Beautifully written, the book describes Amicis’s
journey to the famed city. Each chapter consists of different tourist locations
of the city. The narrative is peppered with historical references as well as anecdotes
from Amicis’s own life. He talks about Constantinople like he has known the city
for years together. Aside from being a very informative travelogue, the books
also serves as a primary source and gives us a glimpse of how the city would have
looked like in 1877 as well as of the ideas that plagued common people at the turn
of the 20th century. My favorite chapter of the book was the one
where he speaks in great detail, about the women of Constantinople, comparing
and contrasting them with the women in his home country. Amicis mentions the
Seraglio and the palace intrigues that accompany it, the sights along the
Golden Horn, the beauty of the minarets, the famous Hagia Sophia , the smells of the bazars, the local population and paints a picture of the Orient,
a curious dichotomy of grandeur and poverty.
Regarding what might have made the book more accessible-
the version I read didn’t have a proper index. The illustrations were less and
Amicis’s unique style of talking about the city like a place known to him for
years together sometimes leaves the first- time reader very confused regarding
the places he is describing.
Overall, a very wonderful book and a must-read for fans of travel and history alike.
My review- 4.5/5
An illustration of a cafe in Scutari, from the book. Image source- https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/Dans_un_caf%C3%A9_de_Constantinople_-_De_Amicis_Edmondo_-_1883.jpg
Comments
Post a Comment