Across the Hellespont: A Literary Guide to Turkey

by Richard Stoneman

From Herodotus to Freya Stark, writers have been inspired by Turkey, a varied country at the crossroads of history, for millennia. Here, Richard Stoneman describes in lively detail the remarkable literature they produced. At a time when Turkey’s position on the fringe may be set to change to a deeper involvement in Europe, the need to understand the country is even more compelling. The range of travel writing represented in this book shows how, while political circumstances may change, the lure of Turkey remains constant.

264 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

"I was born just a few miles from Exeter and have been an Honorary Fellow in the department since 1996. I spent thirty years as a classics editor, most of those years for Routledge; since retiring from that role in 2006, and returning from London to live in Devon, I have been taking an active part in university affairs, including teaching, research and a planned conference.

The core of my research interests has been the continuity of the Greek world and Greek tradition up to the present day. I have written anthologies and travel guides reflecting this interest. Since the early 1980s the main focus of my research has been Alexander the Great, especially in later legend. I have recently participated in several international conferences on the Ancient Novel and on Philip and Alexander. I am currently writing a biography of Xerxes and a study of Megasthenes.

Besides Latin and Greek, my languages include fluent German and adequate French, Italian and Modern Greek. I am taking classes in Turkish and Persian.

I am also Chairman of Westminster Classic Tours (www.westminsterclassictours.com), a company which runs gület tours to classical sites around the Turkish coast and Greek Islands.

In 2009 I was appointed Consulting Editor in Classics to I.B. Tauris Publishers in London, and am actively seeking new authors for their classics programme, and for the series I edit, 'Understanding Classics'.

In 2010 I organised a conference at Exeter University, in conjunction with the Institute of Arab and islamic Studies, on 'The Alexander Romance in Persia and the East'. There were delegates from every continent."

Reviews

[Jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an eccentric book that doesn't complete his mission. I found many fascinating stories, and believe it's good resource for someone interested in the interaction of classical mythology, and classical and English literature with the history of Asia Minor, but its hodgepodge nature was disconcerting. I recall reading a section of Milton's Paradise Lost and thinking, "what the hell's this doing in here?" Aside from a piece here and there from the great Gertrude Bell and Freya Stark, it was rare to find any 20th century writers. This was an antiquarian's delight to construct but useful only to someone who already know a good deal about the country.
The sections on Istanbul and the Aegean Coast are quite good, but once we left these rather well known areas for the hinterlands, stories were scattered from Van to Antakya, from Trakya to Urfa, from Trabizond to Kas. There was only one story on Cappadocia, an area that should have been explored in greater depth, both because of its historical interest and popularity. Why didn't he have something on the discovery of the Gumusler Monastery near Nigde with its fabulous frescos?
The book also has an odd organization, moving from Ionia and Lydia, To Central Anatolia, which includes Cappadocia, to the story of the Hittites, back to Lycia, which is on the bulge between the Aegean and Mediterranean. The section on Hittites, propelled forward by the author's enthusiasm about the subject matter, was excellent, but why is Central Anatolia coming between to adjacent sections of Aegean/Mediterranean coastline?
I often enjoyed the enthusiasm and scholarship the author brought to this work, but I presume the author's writing on Greece--for he is a classicist--feels more complete.