Looking for Osman

by Eric Lawlor

Inspired by the romantic Orientalists of the nineteenth century Eric Lawlor went to Turkey in search of exotic splendor: the fez; a luxurious massage; and the likes of Osman, a legendary knave and con man. What he found is a country in which he fez has been banned since the 1920s, the baths are as brutal as police interrogations, and rogues like Osman have given way to young professionals seeking Turkish entry into the European Economic Community.

But in the process of looking for Osman, Eric Lawlor has given us a book of splendid observation and delicious humor -- and a Turkey m which bazaars still hum amid the newness and Mohammed's footprints are still on display. As attuned to the eccentricities of his fellow Western travelers as he is to the oddities of his hosts, Eric Lawlor is a wonderful guide. And Looking for Osman is a pungent and poetic exploration of a country that surpasses all our notions of the exotic.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Asia

213 pages, Paperback

First published March 2, 1993

Reviews

[Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Irishman Eric Lawlor spent a couple of months in the early 1990's traveling in Turkey, and this travelogue is the account of that journey. His stated purpose was to seek out the exotic in Turkey. His writer-heroes are the 19th century English authors who roamed through this part of the world back in the time when Turkey really was very exotic to the European eye, and he travels with a back-pack full of their works. Since he's not much of one for the pleasures of the countryside or the wilderness, as he is the first to admit, his journey is almost entirely an urban one. However, he does at spend a lot of time in the eastern, Kurdish part of Turkey, so he is at least somewhat off the beaten path -- most tourists stick to the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts of that country. Otherwise, he's not really serious about pursuing a 20th century version of exotic 19th century journeys into the wild interior of Anatolia. His version of exotic adventure is a $3 a night hotel room.

Lawlor suffers from that trait common to the vast majority of native English speakers: he speaks no other languages. This limits his ability to speak with Turks other than those who are educated and / or deal with the tourist trade, but he makes the most of his willingness to give conversation a try with just about anyone. Most importantly, he has a sharp eye for the telling detail of Turkish culture. Example: "Turks are not very good at killing time. Even when they're sedentary, there is a restlessness about them. It shows in the way they draw on their cigarettes, drum their fingers, and worry their beads. They are too alert a people to see much merit in relaxation." He is interested in this kind of face of Turkey, not in seeing its ancient monuments and relics.

His approach to travel writing does however suffer from the limitations of his highly personal but insulated approach. For example, although he traveled through the Kurdish part of the country at a time when the Kurdish armed struggle was at its height -- clashes between the military and the guerillas every day, hundreds of villages being cleared of their inhabitants and burned -- he shows almost no awareness at all of this backdrop of violent events! Likewise, he comments hardly at all on the political, ethnic and religious tensions that are part and parcel of the culture of the country.

In short, this is a tourist's book, but it's an unconventional one, and his writing is clear, enjoyable to read, and filled with sharp, interesting observations of daily life.

[Jeffrey Lamoureux · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eric Lawlor is not a great, heroic traveler. His strength is that he knows this and doesn't pretend otherwise, but, still, it remains that this is not a tremendous adventure, and he doesn't really have much to say.

[Caroline]

Getting ready for my trip to Turkey....

[Jenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nowhere near as entertaining and enjoyable as In Bolivia.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining, though slight, story