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Notes From A Turkish Whorehouse
A performance artist opens his chest and displays his beating heart on stage. A young man walks through the hills of south-west Romania, where the locals have peculiar ideas about gold. On the morning of a medical examination, a woman tries to coax her husband off the roof. A smuggler pays off an old debt to his sister and resigns himself to a life of honest toil in the mine-shafts of his home town. A mysterious rodent named Brigitte enters the lives of two old men. And, in the astonishing long story 'In the Neighbourhood', the inhabitants of a crumbling tower-block go about their business, unforgettably.
The stories of Philip Ó Ceallaigh create a world that is utterly original and yet immediately recognizable - a world of ordinary people grappling with work and idleness, ambition and frustration, wildness and sobriety, love and lust and decay. Scabrously honest, screamingly funny and beautifully crafted, Notes from a Turkish Whorehouse is a brilliant debut from a writer who cannot be ignored by anyone who cares about the art of fiction.
The stories of Philip Ó Ceallaigh create a world that is utterly original and yet immediately recognizable - a world of ordinary people grappling with work and idleness, ambition and frustration, wildness and sobriety, love and lust and decay. Scabrously honest, screamingly funny and beautifully crafted, Notes from a Turkish Whorehouse is a brilliant debut from a writer who cannot be ignored by anyone who cares about the art of fiction.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
12 people are currently reading
334 people want to read
About the author
Philip Ó Ceallaigh
24 books35 followersPhilip Ó Ceallaigh is an Irish short story writer living in Bucharest.
Ó Ceallaigh won the 2006 Rooney Prize for Irish Literature, for his collection Notes from a Turkish Whorehouse. He was the first Irish writer to be shortlisted for the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award, for his second collection of short stories, The Pleasant Light of Day.
In 2010, he edited Sharp Sticks, Driven Nails, an anthology of new short stories by twenty-two Irish and international writers, for The Stinging Fly Press.
The New Zealand writer Charlotte Grimshaw has described him as a "clever Irish writer". Michel Faber, in The Guardian, described his control of tone, dialogue and narrative contour as "masterful".
Ó Ceallaigh has spent much of his life living in Eastern Europe, including many years in Romania. He has also lived in Russia during the early nineties, America thereafter, and then his first stint in Romania beginning in 1995. He spent two years in Galway, Ireland before returning to Romania in 2000. He has also lived in Spain, Kosovo, Georgia and Egypt. Much of his work is set in Eastern Europe. He is polyglottic, speaking six languages efficiently.
Ó Ceallaigh was reared in the Waterford countryside with three siblings. His father is from Dublin and his mother is from Newry. He has described his childhood as “kind of solitary [...] I'd spend a lot of time on my own, reading books. I didn't integrate very well.” He graduated from University College Dublin (UCD) with a degree in philosophy
After his degree Ó Ceallaigh travelled the world, doing a variety of jobs, including waiter (from which he was fired after calling his boss a "fucker"), newspaper editor, freelance journalist and volunteer for clinical trials. He moved to Bucharest so that he could live cheaply and pursue his desire to write.
Ó Ceallaigh won the 2006 Rooney Prize for Irish Literature, for his collection Notes from a Turkish Whorehouse. He was the first Irish writer to be shortlisted for the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award, for his second collection of short stories, The Pleasant Light of Day.
In 2010, he edited Sharp Sticks, Driven Nails, an anthology of new short stories by twenty-two Irish and international writers, for The Stinging Fly Press.
The New Zealand writer Charlotte Grimshaw has described him as a "clever Irish writer". Michel Faber, in The Guardian, described his control of tone, dialogue and narrative contour as "masterful".
Ó Ceallaigh has spent much of his life living in Eastern Europe, including many years in Romania. He has also lived in Russia during the early nineties, America thereafter, and then his first stint in Romania beginning in 1995. He spent two years in Galway, Ireland before returning to Romania in 2000. He has also lived in Spain, Kosovo, Georgia and Egypt. Much of his work is set in Eastern Europe. He is polyglottic, speaking six languages efficiently.
Ó Ceallaigh was reared in the Waterford countryside with three siblings. His father is from Dublin and his mother is from Newry. He has described his childhood as “kind of solitary [...] I'd spend a lot of time on my own, reading books. I didn't integrate very well.” He graduated from University College Dublin (UCD) with a degree in philosophy
After his degree Ó Ceallaigh travelled the world, doing a variety of jobs, including waiter (from which he was fired after calling his boss a "fucker"), newspaper editor, freelance journalist and volunteer for clinical trials. He moved to Bucharest so that he could live cheaply and pursue his desire to write.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
April 19, 2022
2,5/5*
N-aveam absolut niciun fel de așteptare de la cartea asta, pentru că nu știu la ce te-ai putea aștepta de la un irlandez care a călătorit în jurul lumii, apoi a ales să se stabilească în București, of all places, și să scrie un volum de proză scurtă multipremiat.
Volumul începe foarte greu, aproape l-am abandonat pe la jumătate. Apoi a răsarit un text bunicel, apoi încă vreo trei bune, și spre final s-a prăbușit din nou. Textele le-am găsit scrise competent, cu mici explozii geniale, dar în general lipsite de zvâc și cam plictisitoare. Radiografii ale banalului, venind de nicăieri și mergând nicăieri. E nevoie și de așa ceva, dar parcă n-a fost de ajuns.
N-aveam absolut niciun fel de așteptare de la cartea asta, pentru că nu știu la ce te-ai putea aștepta de la un irlandez care a călătorit în jurul lumii, apoi a ales să se stabilească în București, of all places, și să scrie un volum de proză scurtă multipremiat.
Volumul începe foarte greu, aproape l-am abandonat pe la jumătate. Apoi a răsarit un text bunicel, apoi încă vreo trei bune, și spre final s-a prăbușit din nou. Textele le-am găsit scrise competent, cu mici explozii geniale, dar în general lipsite de zvâc și cam plictisitoare. Radiografii ale banalului, venind de nicăieri și mergând nicăieri. E nevoie și de așa ceva, dar parcă n-a fost de ajuns.
June 9, 2015
A collection of stories meant to shed light on the petty lives of some unfortunate people, this reads easily and is pleasantly composed. However segmented it is and keeping in mind its fleeting build, it lacks continuity in style, with some stories being better written than others. It is not a complex or complicated read, but it indeed delivers some good lines and evidentiates a sincere and brutal perspective on its subjects.
Good read for the curious and open minded.
Good read for the curious and open minded.
April 2, 2009
With a title like that you'd expect a lot of sex and you get it. It's mainly grim though: resentful men having cruel fun at the expense of women,a Greek professor discusses philosophy with the catamite (?) who comes round to wank him off (from the latter's pov and v funny), a man gets his teeth smashed after leering at the wrong woman, in the title story -writers look away now - a prostitute takes an author's handwritten ms, only copy of course, in lieu of money. But what O Ceallaigh is good at is writing about labouring jobs (mostly done by immigrants) - the exploitation, absurdity of some of the tasks, the rigours of work, and the wonderful feeling of going home, of finishing. Has some elements of Magnus Mills in that sense although the writing is v different.
Many of the stories are set in towerblocks in Bucharest although there are some set in USA, and, obviously, Turkey. There are some I thought 5 star pieces - 'As I Sink Down' (a mine worker comes to Bucharest to visit his ex girlfriend who works in a bank); 'Life & Death & My Last $5' about the problems of an exploited immigrant working in USA which includes being mugged and shot at; similar themes in the excellent 'My Life as an Artist' and a very fine last story 'Retreat from Moscow' about someone who wakes up hungover or drugged in a stranger's empty house minus money and ID.
However some of the others felt a bit slight or too similar, and I thought the long piece 'In the Neighbourhood' (60 pages) was a bit overlong, although it had its moments. One of the characters hears the couple next door have sex: 'he could hear him only as he affected her. She translated him into music. Brief clear notes punctuating the silence, as if something had surprised her, again and agian. Later there were long bending notes as her wonder assumed a discursive, enquiring quality.'
Overall a good collection and I look forward to reading his second one which has just come out and is getting good reviews.
Many of the stories are set in towerblocks in Bucharest although there are some set in USA, and, obviously, Turkey. There are some I thought 5 star pieces - 'As I Sink Down' (a mine worker comes to Bucharest to visit his ex girlfriend who works in a bank); 'Life & Death & My Last $5' about the problems of an exploited immigrant working in USA which includes being mugged and shot at; similar themes in the excellent 'My Life as an Artist' and a very fine last story 'Retreat from Moscow' about someone who wakes up hungover or drugged in a stranger's empty house minus money and ID.
However some of the others felt a bit slight or too similar, and I thought the long piece 'In the Neighbourhood' (60 pages) was a bit overlong, although it had its moments. One of the characters hears the couple next door have sex: 'he could hear him only as he affected her. She translated him into music. Brief clear notes punctuating the silence, as if something had surprised her, again and agian. Later there were long bending notes as her wonder assumed a discursive, enquiring quality.'
Overall a good collection and I look forward to reading his second one which has just come out and is getting good reviews.
December 20, 2024
A gem of a collection of short stories from a writer that dazzled me with the beauty and passion of his prose. I hate to single out stories but can not resist mentioning 'In the Neighborhood' as extraordinary. There is nothing that gives me greater pleasure than discovering a new writer (new to me that is, Mr. O CeallaiGh (the way his name is spelt on the book though without the correct accent) this is an early work but the author has published many more and Mr. O CeallaiGH is one of the finest - he is also exceptional in the way he captures other countries and cultures and above all the voice of the poor and powerless. Indeed at one point I was forced to abandon reading because I was so upset by the story 'My Life As An Artist' in the course of which I learned that all those unknown workers who in the USA clean, cut grass, landscape, garden and basically do all the menial work that is essential to maintain their sprawling suburban life, are contract workers who are contracted to do a job, not work a set number of hours and if the work requires more hours they are paid no overtime, and not the same but less?!
I don't mean to make it sound like his stories are reportage, they aren't in any way, they are first rate fictions fashioned from truth and experience lived. That such writing can upset one so greatly is a tribute to a great writer.
I don't mean to make it sound like his stories are reportage, they aren't in any way, they are first rate fictions fashioned from truth and experience lived. That such writing can upset one so greatly is a tribute to a great writer.
March 29, 2015
I'm just wondering why the better stories (including that which gives the volume its title) were at the end. I struggled through the first half of the book. So if you decide to read it, be patient, even if you don't like the first stories. Had the book consisted only of the second half, my rating would have definitely gone up.
dnf
February 12, 2021Am citit o povestire. Am răsfoit puțin volumul. Nu mi-a atras nimic atenția, gândul îmi zbura în altă parte și nu mai știam unde sunt în acțiune. Nu e genul de carte potrivită pentru mine.
September 23, 2016
Due racconti molto buoni (Dolcezza, Mentre affondo), qualche altro non male (Nel quartiere, La mia vita d’artista, Appunti da un bordello turco, A pesca), ma nel complesso (in totale sono 19) questa raccolta non soddisfa.
Lo stile viaggia senza alti né bassi, rivelandosi comunque più che leggibile, ma il problema principale è nelle trame: nonostante spesso descrivano situazioni al “limite”, questo limite non si percepisce, non traspare sulla pagina (anche il tono, in bilico sul comico/sentimentale, tra disfattismo e speranza, risulta troppo annacquato).
Lo stile viaggia senza alti né bassi, rivelandosi comunque più che leggibile, ma il problema principale è nelle trame: nonostante spesso descrivano situazioni al “limite”, questo limite non si percepisce, non traspare sulla pagina (anche il tono, in bilico sul comico/sentimentale, tra disfattismo e speranza, risulta troppo annacquato).
February 20, 2022
I couldnt read this entire collection. I found the language distracting, pulling me out of the story. His characters were all misogenistic, which gets to be hard to take after one or two stories.
June 13, 2018
An Irish writer who barely writes about Ireland must be something of a rarity. Instead he seems to have spent a lot of his life in Romania, and some in Washington DC. And unless these are all products of a fervent and slightly warped imagination, a lot of time in various screwed up states involving serial drunkenness, bad accommodation and failed relationships.
Sample (from 'In the Neighbourhood'): "In the kingdom of hardship, Copa had become the people's priest. They came to him with their grievances, their tales of woe, their ailments, their piles, their indigestion, their discomfiture, their confusion, their disappointment, their melancholy, their political commentary, their nostalgia, and he took their money, entered it in the accounts and commiserated, shaking his head and saying, What can you do?"
Why a cliché like "tales of woe" in the middle of such a good sentence? That typifies the writing - engaging but uneven, but this was his first book (published 2006). The tales of woe and the misogyny eventually become a bit too much, but then it finishes with two brief but magnificent stories, 'Gone Fishing' and 'The Retreat from Moscow'.
Sample (from 'In the Neighbourhood'): "In the kingdom of hardship, Copa had become the people's priest. They came to him with their grievances, their tales of woe, their ailments, their piles, their indigestion, their discomfiture, their confusion, their disappointment, their melancholy, their political commentary, their nostalgia, and he took their money, entered it in the accounts and commiserated, shaking his head and saying, What can you do?"
Why a cliché like "tales of woe" in the middle of such a good sentence? That typifies the writing - engaging but uneven, but this was his first book (published 2006). The tales of woe and the misogyny eventually become a bit too much, but then it finishes with two brief but magnificent stories, 'Gone Fishing' and 'The Retreat from Moscow'.
June 8, 2023
“The day they had met, walking in the procession, she had talked about a temple in Thailand, some place like that, one of her sightseeing tours, saying, It makes you think, you know; such places, about what it all means, about what lies beyond. And he did not contradict her, and might even have nodded, as if in agreement with that phrase, what lies beyond. But he was in fact thinking, What foolishness, to speak of beyond, when we hardly know what we have here, on this earth, right before our eyes.”
“Listening to their speech, watching them in the streets, he felt he was looking at people who spoke and moved but did not know why and did not care. During this interval he found it hard to be with them in confined spaces. In buses and trams he became agitated and hated every face he saw.”
I’ve only read Walking Away from this collection but it’s already instilled a need to finish the rest of this work. I’m not quite sure where my passion for short stories has sprung but it’s transient, it’s beautiful, and I’m grateful for the different shapes and structures of these stories. The narrator’s stream of consciousness was relatable and today, I needed a pessimistic reading with a side of prose.
“Listening to their speech, watching them in the streets, he felt he was looking at people who spoke and moved but did not know why and did not care. During this interval he found it hard to be with them in confined spaces. In buses and trams he became agitated and hated every face he saw.”
I’ve only read Walking Away from this collection but it’s already instilled a need to finish the rest of this work. I’m not quite sure where my passion for short stories has sprung but it’s transient, it’s beautiful, and I’m grateful for the different shapes and structures of these stories. The narrator’s stream of consciousness was relatable and today, I needed a pessimistic reading with a side of prose.
April 12, 2025
I found the stories darkly honest and quite captivating, sticking with me long after finishing reading. They revolve around self-loathing, broken relationships, and the loneliness that comes from being unable to truly connect. The tone is cynical, with sharp, dark humor, and I appreciated author's nonjudgmental perspective, leaving space for readers to interpret things for themselves.
What stood out to me most was how the characters and their vivid surroundings blended together. Cracked ceilings, stained walls, suffocating heat, and filthy streets—this world soaked in poverty and decay felt like an extension of the people themselves, shaped by a lingering belief that they don’t deserve anything lasting. It felt like people and places were falling apart together.
Being from Romania, I found the situations and places quite familiar, which made it easier for me to relate to most of the stories—and maybe enjoy them even more.
What stood out to me most was how the characters and their vivid surroundings blended together. Cracked ceilings, stained walls, suffocating heat, and filthy streets—this world soaked in poverty and decay felt like an extension of the people themselves, shaped by a lingering belief that they don’t deserve anything lasting. It felt like people and places were falling apart together.
Being from Romania, I found the situations and places quite familiar, which made it easier for me to relate to most of the stories—and maybe enjoy them even more.
August 16, 2017
I've actually expected more from this book. Some of the stories were really good, impressive actually. Some of them were not worth it.
Still, a lecture that I reccomend to see all faces of the reality
Still, a lecture that I reccomend to see all faces of the reality
February 16, 2020
A fine collection
January 26, 2016
Philip Ó Ceallaigh's stories are straightforward, no-nonsense, yet also oddly sensitive and poetic accounts of everyday life. Most of the volume describes contemporary Romania and Eastern Europe, although several stories take place in the States. Bickering neighbors, confused couples and people struggling to make ends meet make for well-rounded and believably diverse characters, who still converge on a sort of existential pessimism, on an overarching belief that there's no escaping the hand you've been dealt. I used to think that only a native could really capture the "soul" of a nation, but I'm reconsidering.
February 4, 2008
I absolutely love this strange, haunting and dark collection of short stories. I picked this up randomly in a train station in rome and fell in love with the beautiful stories, most of which take place in eastern europe. I especially love the sex scenes scattered throughout because they are erotic and sad and lovely and real all at once.
February 17, 2015
První dvě povídky o ničem, pak mě asi dvě bavily a pak jsem zjistila, že jsou všechny vlastně stejné a nic mi neříkají... Zajímavý pohled na země jako Rumunsko a podobně, ale asi to není můj šálek kávy. Povídky jsou občas psány dost nepřehledně, spousta postav, kterým nerozumím...
July 17, 2012
Amazing collection of shorts
February 18, 2013
Punchy, Hemingway-influenced collection of stories largely set in Dublin and Eastern Europe. Better than the author's follow up.
July 20, 2014
I loved these short stories, which called to mind Hemingway's spare writing style.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews